Crimson Eyes
by astridelta
Summary: It's been three years since Naruto left, and three years since Sasuke has returned. Everyone thinks their favorite blonde is dead, but what does Sasuke find that changes everything? Post time-skip rated M for coarse language and lemon. SasuNaru
1. Prologue

Prologue

Red tinted everything. The moon, the stars, the village below, even Naruto's hand was a ghastly crimson color. And fuck, it hurt. His whole body was on fire, but how was it possible he was still alive? There was a crunch of twigs breaking under foot; Naruto spun around and quickly caught sight of three men chasing after him. He snarled and lunged at them, easily ripping one to shreds before his companions had time to even register what he was.

Even more red filled his eyes as blood squirted from the man's various wounds, and Naruto growled wordlessly in warning. The two men slowly tried to back away; their weapons clattered to the dusty earth and distantly Naruto wondered if he knew them, then the thought was overrun by the need to kill.

Leaping forward, his hand (paw?) grasped at one's throat and crushed it as easily as crumpling paper, then he knocked the flailing body to the ground and tore into the man's arm, ripping the bone and flesh from its socket and flinging the limb aside while relishing in the man's screams of agony. Then he turned to the last one standing. Yells ripped the midnight air as Naruto clawed the man's chest away to reveal a pulsing heart and bloody muscle. Then he leaped back and studied his gruesome work. That's when his vision and mind cleared; the red faded, his skin knit back together. The tails that whipped behind his back shrunk out of existence and he very quickly caught sight of his hands, still red with blood. "No!" Naruto gasped and staggered back as if struck.

The village below him twinkled with lights, seemingly mocking him as they cast shadows on the corpses before him. "I didn't...!" Another step back. "I couldn't!" Fall. "No!" Naruto stood and turned, fleeing quickly into the depths of Konoha, to his apartment. There, he hurriedly gathered anything he could find, clothes, weapons, food.

He was a whirlwind that night, tearing his room to shreds and stuffing his chosen items into bags with no particular order. Blood dripped from his fingers and teeth onto every available surface and the smell gagged him and clogged his nose, threatening to overwhelm him with its irony scent. Visions of dead men and bloody hands cursed the backs of his eyes as he ran out the door, speeding to the front gates of the village. His hitai-ate fell from his forehead and to the ground as he approached; the metal clanged behind him but the blonde refused to turn for it when he jumped over the village boundaries. _I'm to dangerous, _Naruto thought in despair and winced as he felt the Kyuubi's chakra well up in him once more.

_I can't stay here anymore. _He could have killed Sakura, Kakashi, Sai. Tsunade. Everyone in Konoha. _I have to disappear..._Naruto Uzumaki vanished into the pitch black forest surrounding Konoha, terror and angst rolling off of him in waves as he left Konoha seemingly forever.


	2. Disappearance

Disappearance

* * *

**Sakura**

Sakura woke up that morning to a crying sky, rain pattering against her bedroom window in a sort of offbeat rhythm, clouds ominously rolling over Konoha Village on a particularly lazy day. She yawned and stretched in bed, gathering the blankets at her feet and slipping on some wool socks before going downstairs. There was a note on the kitchen counter as she approached it, as well as some buttered toast and a glass of orange juice which had two cubes of ice floating in its depths.

_Gone out to the market with Dad, getting some supplies for our vacation to Suna. See you soon. Love, Mom_. The note read, and Sakura smiled before devouring her toast slowly, reading the local newspaper of her residental district and deciding she would go visit Naruto for the day. It had been awhile since she (or anyone) had seen him; besides, he was probably asleep in some back alley again and Sakura would have to knock some sense into him, not that he ever listened, of course. But it was worth trying. She sighed and smiled again, then went back to her room to get dressed.

As she stepped inside she noticed something was amiss and immediately she was on alert, noticing her picture of Team 7 was not on her windowsill like it normally was. Instead, it was laying face down...against the floor by the opposite wall. Worried, the rosette went and checked to see if her window was open or if there were drafts, but to her dismay there wasn't any sign of a natural occurrence for her photo to be where it was now. Then she noticed that there were three distinct scratches on the glass, and the middle mark seemed to have passed through the glass into her room. But for something to have enough strength to push the picture frame from just that scratch...it was disturbing.

Deciding to shrug it off for the moment, Sakura retrieved the picture and, as always, her eyes grew wet at Sasuke and Naruto's annoyed images, but she quickly placed the photo where it belonged and picked out her usual red-tan dress that she wore when she was not on shinobi duty and forwent her pink hitai-ati that was draped over the back of her dresser chair. Picking up a hair brush she combed through the very few snarls in her hair (she always kept it pristine and clean, even on missions) and rubbed moisturizer on her cheeks (she rarely had time for eyeliner or mascara these days) before slipping her feet into some black ninja sandals and setting off for Naruto's house.

She stepped outside and the first thing she noticed was the chill in the air, odd for the usually warm March month. Then she saw the civilians scurrying around the street frantically, murmurs and shouts arising like swarms of bees on a summer day. "What's going on?" The rosette asked and grasped an old lady's arm as she jogged by. "Didn't you hear Sakura-kun? Three bodies were found on the top of Hokage Mountain. They were apparently registered S-class missing-nin!" The woman exclaimed and a young girl tugged on her sleeve. Sakura's brow furrowed in worry. "They're dead?" She asked slowly. "Mutilated Sakura-kun. Almost beyond recognition." Sakura stiffened and let go of the woman's arm.

"Thanks," she said and ran off, running to Naruto's apartment complex, hoping the blonde would have some answers for her, since he always went up to the murder site every night since Sasuke had left. As she ran towards the front of his apartment the kunochi saw a mass of people gathered around the front entrance, not showing any sign of wanting to move.

Sighing, the rosette decided to completely forgo the stairs inside the building and opted for leaping to Naruto's bedroom window, which was at the very top of the spiraling tower of metal, and banged on the glass. "Naruto!" She shouted and peered inside. The whole area was a mess, not like it wasn't expected from the obnoxious blonde, but _again _there was that feeling that something was amiss. Gasping, Sakura knocked on the window again, and asked frantically, "Naruto?" No-one came to the window.

She smashed the glass with her fist and jumped in, landing on his unkept bed which was now covered in shards of glass. Then she screamed as she looked up to look at the rest of the apartment. Blood covered everything in some way, in handprints or in drops; clothes hung out of drawers and empty or full ramen cups littered the floor. Sakura ran into the bathroom, knocking the wooden door off its hinges in her rush. "You idiot! Where are you?! NARUTO!"

Blood stained the mirror and was scattered on the tiled floor, the shower curtain was laying in rags on the ground and water trickled lazily from the tap. Sakura quickly leapt out of the broken window and hit the ground running to the village gates, knowing she would find Kakashi there on guard duty and beg him to come see what was in Naruto's apartment. Then she froze as the gates came into view. On the ground, covered in dust and blood, was a black hitai-ate, completely ignored by the throng of civilians. Sakura ran to it and picked it up shakily, holding it in her hands and noticed the slight nick that was in the lower left corner of the metal. She had put a dent in Naruto's hitai-ate in that exact same place-

"No!" Sakura continued to run forward, almost bowling over Sai as he stepped out of a small store with two or three bags piled into his arms. "S-Sakura-san!" The ANBU stuttered as Sakura gripped the front of his shirt with her right hand and began to shake violently as her left hand held the hitai-ate harder. "What's the matter?" "It's...it's Naruto," she whispered. "Did his dick finally show up?" "N-no! He's..." Sakura held up the bloody hitai-ate. Sai's eyes widened slightly.

"Isn't that his?" Sakura nodded slightly. "The missing-nin...His apartment is trashed..." Sakura could barely speak. "Did someone..." "Did someone kill him?" Sakura's eyes watered as Sai made the suggestion. "No...they couldn't have," Sakura whispered. "He's a Jinchūriki...they wouldn't kill the Kyuubi vessel..." "Sakura." Kakashi's voice came from behind the rosette and Sai. She turned and saw him standing rather awkwardly in the middle of the street, leaning to one side with his hands shoved into his pockets. "Ah...am I interrupting something?" "No," Sai whispered. "We think the missing-nin from last night took Naruto."

* * *

Tsunade's fist slammed down on the wooden desk in front of her, multiple papers floating into the air and Naruto's hitai-ate jumping with them before landing with a clang on the dented table. "Dammit!" The Hokage hissed, while Sakura, Kakashi, and Sai watched her warily to ensure the rest of the office wasn't blown to bits. "All three of them were killed though!" "There could have been more," Sai offered quietly.

"After all, there were unusual chakra levels at the mountain the other night." Tsunade nodded, then her eyes narrowed. "Whatever killed them had monstrous power..." Sakura leaned forward. "Why would they want Naruto? I mean, Naruto and the Kyuubi?" She asked softly while Kakashi's visible flickered closed for a moment. "Probably to extract it," Kakashi muttered and leaned back in his chair. Tsunade growled and hit her desk again. "ANBU!" She shouted.

Immediately the office door burst open and four of the masked nin leaped into the room, bowing from their positions behind Sakura, Kakashi, and Sai. "Search in a one-hundred mile radius around Konoha," she ordered. "Every Jounin and Chunnin readily available are to be alerted of the situation. Put out a level two red alert and be ready for more enemy attacks. We must get the Kyuubi back at all costs!" "Yes Hokage-sama," four voices murmured in sync. "Get the Rookie Nine as well," the Hokage then said to Sakura.

"Kakashi, Sai, you join the search teams." "Yes Hokage-sama," Sai bowed and vanished in a puff of smoke. Kakashi stood and stretched before turning his lazy gaze to Sakura and nodding once. "We'll find him," Kakashi murmured to the rosette. "Sakura, I need you in the autopsy room," Tsunade barked. "H-hai," Sakura replied uneasily and turned as Kakashi disappeared as well. _Please be okay...Naruto._

* * *

I'm sorry this is so short! I promise the chapters will be longer next time. I'm just working so hard on The Sun and the Moon right now! -offers cookie- please forgive me T-T anyways, yeah I'll be working on this story more often and maybe I'll start making a schedule or something for when I upload so both of my stories can be even better :) anyways, I'll see you all later! ^_^


	3. Going Home

Going Home

* * *

**Sasuke**

Leaves fluttered downward on Uchiha Sasuke, turning and falling lazily in the summer wind. The raven hated it. The trees were a mockery to what he had three years ago, a mockery to what Itachi had tried so hard to protect, and had died with the secret of why he had done what he did.

The word "protect" felt so...wrong in Sasuke's mind, even now after a year had passed since he had killed Itachi. It almost seemed like the words "protect" and "Konoha" shouldn't belong in the same sentence. He contemplated this while he lay on his back, staring up at a bright mid afternoon sky, his mind drifting to Itachi's final wishes for a safe Konoha, free from the Uchiha Clan's "bloodlust".

Sasuke snorted, blowing a leaf off his nose. "He knew nothing." Sasuke continued to tell himself that, trying to justify the need to kill off every single rotting person in that disgraceful, unthankful village..."HELP ME!" A screech of terror brought Sasuke out of his thoughts, snapping up to kneel with his katana in hand, the blade crackling in blue lightning.

His sharnigan scanned the area around, narrowed through the suspicion that no-one should be near the raven for miles. Another scream sounded, followed by the horrified yells of a man and then...silence. Not a bird nor rabbit dared to stir in the awful quiet that followed the awful noises. Standing slowly, the Uchiha looked around for any sign of an ambush, and once he had deme himself safe he ran swiftly to the place where the noise originated, then began to gag as the overwhelming scent of blood scratched at his nose.

Coughing, he brought his arm to his nose in an attempt to chase away the smell and shut his eyes as he ran, trusting his instincts to take him where he needed to go. Then suddenly the smell grew unbearably strong and Sasuke blinked open his watery eyes to behold a truly gruesome sight. Body parts were flung everywhere around a small clearing shaded by oak trees; a young girl's torso lay limp and bloodied against a tree, her dead eyes wide with terror. A man was hanging from a tree branch, his arm missing and mouth parted in an eternal yell. An orange and black jacket fluttered on a rock, barely managing to keep from fluttering away into the woods.

And that jacket seemed eerily familiar.

Running forward, Sasuke began to register who's jacket it was and questioning about _why the fuck _was he out here? The Uchiha's arm reached out and he felt the cold fabric brush his palm, closing his fingers tightly around the jacket and noticing three distinct rips that slashed across the front of the orange and black, old blood coating most of the ripped fabric.

Sasuke's arms were shaking, but he wasn't sure why. Besides, Naruto couldn't be dead now, right? This jacket probably belonged to one of his stupid Kage Bunshins...but then he remembered the clones always disappeared when hit with a death blow. He stared down at the jacket and sank to his knees, listening closely around himself for any signs of the attacker from earlier while he still gazed at the jacket he held, fear rising inside of him ever so slowly as old emotions that he had tried to lock out were flooding through his mind.

A memory of Naruto laying still on top of a smooth lake, water cascading down his face and closed eyes, those eyes that never should have shut echoed in Sasuke's head and he inhaled sharply at its presence. No, no, no! He should be _happy _that Naruto was potentially dead right now! It meant the stupid blonde wouldn't be chasing after the Uchiha anymore and he would be free to do whatever the hell he wanted to Konoha!

But...he wasn't. In fact, he was scared at the thought of Naruto dead.

Then there was the sound of feet impacting on hard bark and Sasuke knew he had to get out of here while he still could. But for some reason, his limbs refused to move and his eyes continued to stay locked on the orange and black jacket in his fingers while the footsteps drew ever closer. The Uchiha's katana clanged to the ground as he remembered Naruto laying motionless on the cold stone ground with deadly needles sticking out of his body like a cushion, Haku stretching towards him with those hands outstretched that promised death...

There it was again. Those footsteps that now landed lithely into the clearing and Sasuke knew it was too late to escape. Now, his only option was to stay and fight in this bloody clearing, stained with the deaths of two people and, potentially, Naruto...

"Sasuke?" Kakashi's voice exclaimed from behind and the raven's eyes widened in shock at the voice. He stood up slowly, keeping the jacket in his left hand while bending to retrieve his katana. Then he turned and barely saw the unmasked surprise in his former sensei's eyes as a bloody tear leaked from his left eye, falling and staining what little of Naruto's jacket wasn't already covered in the crimson liquid. black flames erupted from his mouth to launch at Kakashi and, as Sasuke just noticed, Sai, who followed the Jounin swiftly and watched Sasuke with calculating cold eyes.

The two ninjas leaped aside and Sasuke didn't even bother to redirect the flames when they landed on a tree splashed with blood. "Sasuke! Calm down!" Somewhere in Sasuke's mind he heard Kakashi shout, and he stopped to see black everywhere; flickering and smoke billowing into the sky. "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" Invisible armies and orange fire swarmed Sasuke's vision when in reality it was only Kakashi and Sai pulling him to the ground. But what was reality? Which way was up, which way was down...

Kicking, Sasuke shouted wordlessly when Kakashi grabbed his wrists and held his arms above his head. "Sai, get the jacket," the raven heard the white-haired wolf murmur and quickly Sasuke felt a piece of cloth being torn from his grasp. "No," he snarled and grabbed at the jacket, twisting out of Kakashi's grip and landing on a smashed boulder where a severed foot lay behind it, blood oozing from the appendage.

"Chidori Senbon!" Bolts of lightning shot from Sasuke's fingers and launched at Kakashi and Sai in a flurry, illuminating the spaces they flew by and singeing wood, grass, and leaves. "Doton: Doryūheki!" Kakashi slammed his palms to the ground and a wall of earth emerged to cover himself and Sai just before the lightning needles pierced their skin. "Chōjū Giga!" A black and white tiger leaped from behind the earth wall and extended it's claws to Sasuke, who leaped and twisted in the air to avoid the razor sharp ink claws that were reaching for himself, or Naruto's jacket.

The raven didn't care, and instead sucked in a deep breath and preparing to use..."Chidori Eisō!" Chidori crackled on Sasuke's left palm and formed into a spear that launched towards Sai's ink creation and causing it to explode into nothing. "Sasuke, stop! We're trying to find Naruto too! STOP!" As if a switch had been turned in Sasuke's mind at the name, the raven froze with Naruto's jacket clutched close to his chest.

Kakashi appeared in a flicker in front of him and, tentatively, placed his right hand on the raven's shoulder. Sasuke stared into Kakashi's one visible, lazy eye from his time in Konoha. "What's wrong with me?" He whispered. Sai landed behind the Uchiha. Kakashi tilted his head, pondering Sasuke and his sudden show of weakness. "You care," the wolf murmured.

"Sasuke, whatever you've told yourself, you care. I know you do...there's more to you than revenge Sasuke. I've said it time and time again, but...you're finally listening to me." "Why?" Sasuke asked quietly. "Because Naruto is in danger. I think you can't bear the thought of him being gone." Sai stepped closer and knelt next to Sasuke. "Sasuke-san," the ANBU began. "From what I've gathered about your bond with Naruto...I think you two are on a totally different level that I could never get to with him."

He sighed. "Friendship is such a fickle thing, and...I still don't fully understand it. But Naruto showed me so much that if he is, well...Sasuke-san, I beg you. Please...help us...please." Sasuke turned his blank gaze to Naruto's bloody jacket, panting heavily and feeling Kakashi's hand moving with his shoulders. "I..." Sasuke murmured. "Come home Sasuke. You can help us find Naruto just...come home." Sasuke closed his eyes and his hands trembled with Naruto's jacket in his fists. Which would he choose? Revenge, or Naruto? Just like four years ago..."...For Naruto."

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

Low murmurs were sounding from either side of Sasuke as Kakashi and Sai escorted him through the iconic wooden gates of Konoha, newly constructed with piles of dirt next to either door. His head swiveled left and right to notice mounds of dirt, wood, and metal pushed away from the roads, small buildings dotting the landscape here and there. "We're still rebuilding from Pein's attack," Sai leaned over and murmured to Sasuke.

The raven nodded and listened in on the villagers' conversations. "Isn't that?..." "Yeah, the Uchiha." "But didn't he attack the Kage Summit?" "How is Hokage-sama letting him in here?" Sasuke grit his teeth and clenched his fists tight around Naruto's jacket. "Calm yourself," Kakashi muttered, probably sensing the chakra that threatened to erupt from the Uchiha. Growling, the raven listened and continued to stride forward, noting how the buildings became larger, taller, and more frequent as they neared the heart of the village, where a newly constructed Hokage tower lay under Hokage Mountain.

He was starting to wonder if this was a bad idea; after all, Juugo and Suijutsu were still off on their own...he sighed. "What is it?" Kakashi asked and looked over. "Nothing," Sasuke replied curtly. "I'm assuming...the Uchiha complex is gone too?" Silence met the raven's question. He nodded. "I see."

"Sasuke, I think it would be best if I tell you this before going to see Tsunade. She's already worked out a punishment for you, especially after you attacked the Kage Summit." Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Kakashi. "What is it?" He asked as a trio of children ran across their path. Kakashi looked up at the fading sky. "Well...at the first the Council wanted to just throw you in a cell and leave you to rot. But since we are in the brink of world war, Tsunade-sama talked your punishment over with the other Kage and they believe the best option is to let you decide.

"And what I mean by that is you can choose to either fight with us or stay here in Konoha, where your chakra and movements will be restricted." He grit his teeth at the thought of such liabilities and glared forward as the Hokage Tower began to loom over the trio, ANBU stationed in two long rows that led up to the double doors of the building.

Kakashi nodded to them and Sai smiled, then they continued to move through the ranks until reaching their destination. Sasuke was escorted upstairs and through numerous hallways (eventually he stopped trying to keep track of where he was) and they ended up in front of a single wooden door.

"Go in," Kakashi murmured then, his voice softer than it was outside. "If you're willing to do this for Naruto, go." Sasuke took a deep breath and nodded, shutting his eyes, his hand closing around the brass doorknob. Then it turned. He quietly opened the door, then stepped inside to see many papers and books scattered in an oval office, a thick wooden desk occupying the back of the room where a chair sat facing away from him, out to the windows that covered that section of the wall.

Bookshelves lay overturned and the wooden desk, as Sasuke just noticed, was barely standing due to whatever abusive fists had struck it. "Uchiha." A feminine voice proclaimed his surname lowly, drawing it out as the chair spun around to reveal the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade. Her blonde ponytail/pigtail things (Sasuke never could decide what they were) were in disarray, her hazel eyes were bloodshot and filled with a worry most people couldn't comprehend.

She still somehow maintained the threatening poise she possessed and as she glared at Sasuke the raven found himself gazing back, staring into the depths of the Hokage's pain. She gestured to a seat that wasn't overturned in front of her desk. "Sit," she commanded simply. Sasuke sunk into the chair, not wanting to piss her off now. The blonde before him sighed and rested her elbows on the desk, placing her hands over her face and scrubbing vigorously. "I assume you know what's going on." "Most of it," Sasuke replied truthfully. "...Fine." Sasuke tilted his head when the Hokage didn't continue. "Aren't you going to tell me the rest of it?" He asked.

"I'm not spending another damn second reliving that night Uchiha. You'll have to ask someone else," Tsunade's muffled voice growled out from behind her palms. Sighing in exasperation, Sasuke leaned back. "I'm sure Kakashi told you what the Kages and I have in store," Tsunade finally said after a few minutes, releasing her face to glare at Sasuke.

"Yes." "And you willingly accept it?" "Yes." "And you acknowledge that by doing this, you swear loyalty to Konoha once more, and will defend her with your life." Sasuke's fists clenched slightly. "Yes," he managed to whisper. Tsunade sighed and managed a weak smile at the raven. "It should be someone else who's saying this," she said. "He fought tooth and nail to bring you back and I will never fully understand why...but...welcome home Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded once as Tsunade pulled something out from behind her desk to reveal a pair of black hitai-ate, one with a dent in the bottom left corner. "This one is Naruto's," she whispered and pointed to the flawed metal. Sasuke reached out and tried to take both, but Tsunade pulled them away.

"I'll need his jacket Sasuke." Sasuke glanced down at the cloth in his hands. "It's the jacket or the hitai-ate. You choose." He stared down at the blazing orange and black in his palms. Then, with a sheer force of will, he raised the jacket to the table and in return found both of his hands gripping one hitai-ate each. Gently placing Naruto's onto his lap, Sasuke slowly raised the other to his forehead. Tsunade watched in approval as he tied the cloth around his head, signaling to all he was once more a shinobi of Konoha.


	4. Strange Signs

Strange Signs

**Kakashi**

Kakashi wasn't one to mess around. He got things done when they needed to be done, no questions asked. He was a live in the moment kind of guy; never linger on the past because if you do, you could make the same mistakes you did then.

And considering the way his team was heading, Kakashi probably did hesitate for a little bit too long.

After all, one of his students had become a missing-nin under his guidance and another, who was Konoha's Jinchūriki mind you, was currently missing. And the girl? Well, she had issues of her own. But Kakashi didn't want to even think about any of that as he rolled out of his bed on a lazy Saturday morning, feeling particularly tired since he had spent the past week and a half getting a cumulative eight hours of sleep searching for Naruto with Sai or Yamato.

His mask itched at his lips as he stood up and stretched, his feet touching the cold wooden floorboards of his bedroom as he bent down to touch his toes. With his half-veiled vision due to the fact that his left Sharnigan eye was closed, he studied the swirls and grains of the wood below him before standing erect and going downstairs to his kitchen, flicking on ceiling lights as he did so to reveal his extremely empty two story home.

The sight disappointed the wolf somewhat, because by now someone his age was supposed to have at least found a girl to settle down with, but hey. He was Konoha's famous Copy Ninja; he needed to be on duty full time and he doesn't have time for a relationship like that.

As he poured milk into a bowl of cereal, the Jounin stared out his kitchen window at the dreary sky that promised rain in the very near future. Sighing, he ate his meal slowly, taking in the clouds that rolled overhead...and the strange orange light that filled the sky for a brief moment before vanishing, almost making Kakashi believe his tired eye had imagined it.

But there it was again! A pillar of crimson rising into the sky for a split second before vanishing again. "I've seen that before..." Kakashi muttered to himself and stood slowly, his cereal forgotten as he sprinted upstairs and donned his Jounin vest, weapons pouch, hitai-ate and sandals before running out his front door while covering his left eye with his forehead protector.

The Jounin narrowed his visible eye to try and see if he could spot the phenomenon again, but to no avail as people bustled around his frozen form as if the strange occurrence had never happened. Worry clawed at Kakashi's gut as he noticed that the beam of light had been near Konoha's west wall, which had just recently been repaired and reinforced with extra guards; surely some warning should have gone up by now, right?

But there was no warning bell to be heard as Kakashi decided to walk briskly towards the area in question, not wanting to worry the citizens by rushing too fast to the west wall. "Morning Kakashi," many bystanders greeted as he strode past, and he nodded politely in their direction while occasionally glancing to his destination, somewhat hoping for the light to return.

As he was looking to the looming concrete wall, the Jounin noticed Sasuke standing by a telephone pole, his back leaning against the wood and a bag in his arms, while he looked towards the ground with an annoyed expression. Kakashi felt the urge to go and further the raven's discomfort poke at him, but he pushed the emotion down; he had a job to do right now and petty arguments wouldn't help do it. The young Uchiha glanced up at Kakashi's fast approach, his coal black eyes narrowing even more, if it was possible, without making him look like he was squinting.

"Kakashi," the raven greeted stiffly as Kakashi sped past. "Hey-o Sasuke," Kakashi called over his shoulder without stopping. He turned a corner swiftly, his strides lengthening as the guard tower for the west wall appeared in his sights. "Kakashi-senpai," a Chūnin blurted out as the wolf stopped in front of the heavy steel door of the tower. He nodded towards them. "I need to speak to your captain.." The Jounin murmured and looked at the young man's companions.

"Of course," one replied and ran inside of the building. "Is something wrong?" another asked. "You could say that," Kakashi replied vaguely. Then there was the sound of loud footsteps on the other side of the door until the guard tower's captain walked outside, adjusting his hitai-ate on his forehead as he did so. "Kakashi-senpai," he greeted once he reached the Jounin. "How may I help you?" He continued after Kakashi nodded.

"Have any of the guard posts noticed anything...unusual in the sky during the morning shift?" Kakashi asked quietly while leaning forward to whisper without having any curious Chūnin listen in. "I'm afraid not," the captain replied. "Is anything wrong?" "Nope!" Kakashi replied cheerfully and turned away, his smile fading as he turned his back on the man. "Just curious. Have a good day!" But Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong as he ambled away.

_8-8-8-8-8-8_

Kakashi knocked his fist against the wooden door that led to the Hokage's office, the sound echoing in the eerily empty hallway he stood in. "Enter," a commanding, yet lazy female voice announced from inside, and Kakashi did as told, opening the door the find Lady Tsunade grasping a glass that had sake sloshing inside of it with her eyes half-lidded in her drunken state.

"Kakashi," she slurred and waved towards a seat in front of her desk. "Have a seat." Kakashi shook his head. "Sorry Tsunade-sama, ne," he apologized and scratched at the back of his head. "I just have a quick report..." "Spill it then," Tsunade commanded and leaned back in her own chair. "This morning there was a strange orange flare in the sky..." Kakashi began. "I've seen it before."

Tsunade nodded, indicating for him to continue. "I believe, and if I can find Yamato to back me up, that it is the Kyuubi's chakra," Kakashi stated. The behavioral change in the Hokage was almost funny; her eyes shot open, wide and alert as she stood up and slammed her drink on her desk, denting the wood in her force. "You're saying it may be Naruto?" She whispered.

"Either that...or whoever took him got the beast out of him," Kakashi offered, his mood darkening at that option. Tsunade nodded. "Shizune," she barked. There was silence for a few moments, then the sound of wood clacking on wood and then the flustered young medic-nin appeared in the doorway. "Y-yes Tsunade-sama?" She asked, out of breath. "Summon Yamato to my office," Tsunade ordered. "Hai. Wait, isn't he on guard duty?"

"Take him off it then," the blonde said and Shizune nodded, running off with her pig TonTon in her arms. "And you're sure you saw this occurrence?" Tsunade addressed Kakashi, who turned to face the Hokage. "You said it was this morning, and if I recall you have been out very late for the past few weeks on various search parties. Surely your eyes must be tired?"

Kakashi nodded. "I understand Tsunade-sama, and while I did go to the west wall to see if the sentry guards had seen anything, and they had not, if Yamato has seen it then it has to have occured," he said and crossed his arms, missing the familiar weight of "Come Come Paradise" in his hands.

Tsunade shook her head. "I'll need better than the testamony of an ANBU and the former leader of Team 7, neither of whom have gotten adequte sleep in weeks. If Yamato agrees then I'll send a team to check out the chakra levels." Kakashi heard the doubt in her voice, even if she was trying to hide it from him. But regardless of her confidence he nodded and leaned back on his right leg, gazing out of the wall-length windows behind the Hokage's desk at the cloudless blue sky.

_A good day to relax..._he thought and yawned quietly. Tsunade eventually stooped low over her desk, mumbling to herself and carelessly signing various scrolls and documents that Kakashi doubted she was even looking, her eyes drooping low numerous times in the process. "Tsunade-sama, how much sleep have _you _gotten?" The wolf asked, peering at the Sannin. "I dunno..." She mumbled in reply. "But that isn't the issue right now Kakashi, so give it a rest-" "Tsunade-sama," Shizune interrupted from the doorway.

"I found Captain Yamato as you requested," she continued and Kakashi turned to see the young medic-nin stride inside the room with the Wood Style user close behind, glancing curiously at the Jounin as he walked. "What's going on?" He mouthed to the wolf as he stopped by his side. "You'll find out soon," Kakashi whispered back and Yamato nodded, turning his attention to Tsunade as she waved Shizune out of the room.

"So...Yamato..." Tsunade began. "Yes, Hokage-sama?" the brunette asked slowly, wary now of the blonde's careful tone. "Kakashi has told me something...disturbing, and I was wondering if you had seen something similar to what he described." Yamato turned to Kakashi, an eyebrow arched over his left eye. "What is she talking about?" Yamato asked cautiously. Kakashi sighed.

"This morning, I believe I saw the Kyuubi's chakra," he stated. Yamato inhaled sharply and his eyes narrowed. "You're sure?..." Tsunade too narrowed her gaze at the Wood Style user. "You don't seem too surprised," she stated and leaned forward. "Well...this morning I sensed something...powerful, in the woods by the west wall," Yamato replied. "That's where I saw it," Kakashi added. Tsunade nodded slowly, her jaw clenching as she was apparently lost in thought.

"Well...I did say I would send an ANBU team if your stories agreed," she muttered after a pregnant silence. "Hokage-sama, if I may, I would like to be on the search team that is investigating," Yamato stated quickly. "Put me in there too," Kakashi said lazily with a wave of his hand. Tsunade growled under her breath, but nodded her consent. "Be at the village gates in an hour," she called to Kakashi's retreating back.

"Are you sure it was the Kyuubi's chakra?" Yamato asked as he followed Kakashi into the still empty hallway. "Remember when we were training Naruto?" The wolf asked as they made their way down the stairs. "When the Kyuubi appeared, it came in an enormous rush of chakra. The magnitude that I saw, with my one eye alone, was staggering enough to only be the demon fox's."

Yamato grunted. "You're right...the levels that I felt in the wood this morning weren't human. Perhaps he was fighting whoever captured him?" The brunette asked. Kakashi shook his head. "He's been missing for two weeks. They surely would have gotten as far away from Konoha as they possibly could," Kakashi stated as they walked outside, the sun drenching their faces with warm light.

"Maybe he escaped. But you're right, it does seem unlikely," Yamato murmured. "Ne." The two walked in a comfortable silence after that, slowly weaving their way to the village gate until a flash of green and orange sprang into their path in the middle of the market district.

"Kakashi, my old rival!" Guy shouted and struck his infamous good-guy pose. Kakashi's shoulders slumped forward and weariness already tugged at his legs at the mere thought of what the ridiculous tai-jutsu user would suggest. "I come to you with the greatest of challenges at hand! We race from here," Guy pointed to his feet, "To the edge of the Fire Country, while carrying four bags of solid cement!"

Yamato looked to Kakashi in confusion, and the Jounin waved his hand dismissively. "Not now Guy," he said lazily, moving to walk around the raven. "We're about to get ready for a mission.." "Then I will accompany you!" The tai-jutsu user roared from behind and Kakashi felt an arm sling around his shoulders. Rolling his eyes, Kakashi shrugged it off. "Not now Guy. It's..." "Classified," Yamato stated and leaned around Kakashi to peer at Guy, who stopped in mid-stride and pouted at Kakashi.

"You win this round Kakashi. But rest assured I will continue my one-handed handstands around Konoha until we meet again!" Guy cried and ran off. "...He sure is a...piece of work," Yamato commented and smiled nervously at Kakashi, who sighed and turned to continue walking. "I sometimes wonder if I'm sane to associate with him," he muttered and rubbed at his neck.

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

45 minutes later and Kakashi was leaning against one of the wooden poles of Konoha's newly rebuilt front gates, eyes closed as he dozed while Yamato knelt with his palm pressed to the dirt, muttering quietly to himself as he caused small branches to pop out of the ground and retract at will.

"Here they come," the brunette announced suddenly, and Kakashi glanced to his right to see...Sasuke? "This is not an ANBU team," he muttered as more of the Rookie Nine came into view over the road...Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru? Hell, every graduating friend of Naruto's shinobi class was coming! "Perhaps Hokage-sama couldn't get a team up in time," Yamato offered as he stood, brushing dirt off his knees and turning to face the group heading this way.

"Kaka-sensei!" Sakura's voice called out and Kakashi saw the rosette wave in his direction. Holding his fingers up to his forehead in a two-handed salute, Kakashi greeted the first of the group to stop in front of him. "Yo," he said with false cheerfulness as Sasuke glowered back at him. "Hokage-sama says you need help investigating something," the raven muttered back. Clearly not too happy about why he was here.

And apparently none of the other children knew why either. Kakashi sighed and silently cursed Tsunade for not briefing them on why they were even accompanying himself and Yamato. "Alright, since all of you don't seem to know what's going on," he called out as Ino lightly punched Kiba in the arm to shut him up, "We're heading outside the west wall right now. This morning...Captain Yamato and I both sensed something there that needs investigating."

"Then why would Hokage-sama send all of us?" Neji asked from the back of the group, Hinata clinging close to his side. "Because it was the Kyuubi's chakra," Yamato called out, and the change in everyone's behavior happened so fast Kakashi would have laughed if not for the seriousness of the situation. Sasuke, if possible, grew paler, while Sakura, TenTen, and Ino stiffened and Shikamaru suddenly was giving the two men his undivided attention.

Lee and Kiba, who were whispering quietly, stood straight up, eyes locked on Kakashi while Akamaru's heavy breathing quieted. Sai and Neji got even more serious-looking and Hinata gasped quietly...while Shino stayed completely blank. "You're sure of this," Sasuke muttered. "If I wasn't why would we be here right now," the Jounin whispered back to the Uchiha. "We leave now," he called out louder to the rest of the group, turning to leap into the trees surrounding Konoha.

There was a rustle of clothing and wind as the rookies followed suit, Sasuke and Sakura pressing closest to Kakashi's back and Sai to Yamato's, the artist leaping next to Sakura who didn't seem to mind his presence in the least. Everyone was silent as Kakashi swerved left towards the west wall, aside from Akamaru's panting. "My bugs are picking up strong chakra signatures," Shino called forth quietly from the back.

Kakashi nodded, but didn't reply. The group ran in silence for a while until Kiba and Akamaru suddenly stopped. "Blood," the wolf boy hissed and Akamaru whined in discomfort. "Naruto," Sakura gasped and completely blew past Kakashi, Ino and Neji close behind her as they vanished into the branches. Sasuke pressed against Kakashi's left side as he quickened his strides, his feet leaving indents in the branches as he landed.

Then Ino screamed from up ahead. Sasuke growled under his breath and everyone seemed to hold theirs as Sakura, Ino, and Neji came into view, their backs facing them. "What's wrong-" Yamato asked, then cut off as he looked towards the ground. Kakashi stopped next to Sakura, his gaze following the rosette's into a small clearing...littered with headless carcasses.

Mangled forms were twisted, broken, all across the forest floor, their blood pooling next to their exposed necks. Kakashi saw what he assumed to be heads scattered around on the fringes of the clearing, their eyes wide in frozen terror. "This is..." Kakashi whispered. "Naruto couldn't have done this," Sakura said in horror. Kakashi glanced over at Sasuke and saw that the raven was clenching the trunk of a tree with his left hand, the wood groaning under the pressure of his grip as he stared at the mutilated bodies.

Everyone else by now had made their way to trees all around the clearing, and gasps of shock and disgust were filling the space, along with the metallic smell of blood. "Sasuke," Kakashi murmured to the raven and lifted his hitai-ate while closing his right eye, his vision sharpening as Obito's Sharnigan opened. Sasuke looked over at his former sensei and nodded, face grim as he blinked, and the three tomoes surrounded by red filled his own pupils.

The two shinobi leapt down quietly into the clearing, Hinata and Neji following, their Byakugan activated as the four scanned the clearing. Trails of chakra were everywhere, Kakashi saw as he glanced around, avoiding stepping in any puddles of crimson as he strode around the clearing. "There's nothing living here," Hinata called quietly from the opposite end of the clearing. "Looks like they didn't put up much of a fight," Neji added as more young shinobi entered the clearing.

"Didn't, or couldn't?" Sasuke muttered. The statement sent a shiver of fear through Kakashi as he examined the body of a young female, an engagement ring on her left hand. _What could have done this?_

* * *

Alright everyone, sorry this took so long. I'm just gonna let y'all know now so you aren't complaining later about how I'm not updating, but I am having knee surgery this friday because of soccer so I'm going to be like way out of it as far as updating goes. I'm trying to get as many chapters done for not only Crimson Eyes but the sequel to S/M (the Sun and the Moon) as possible, so just bear with me please and I do apologize for the inconvenience, I understand how frustrating it is when a good story isn't updated for awhile :) just as a time frame here, I'll probably be out all weekend and into most of next week, maybe tuesday if we're lucky, and I'll be able to start posting again.

So again, just bear with me and I promise it'll all be worth it :) I'm working so hard on these so understand that updates take time _and _effort in order to be as good as I'd like! I can't just snap my fingers and be like "poof! A new chapter for Crimson Eyes, fifty minutes after I added chapter two!" It doesn't work like that. I appreciate the support, I really do, and I'll keep writing as fast and as well as I can, without making the storyline complete crap. So until next time, enjoy!


	5. Memories

Searching for a friend

**Sasuke**

_It was a dark, moonless night. A fire crackled in the middle of a small clearing in a large, abandoned temple. "Oi, Juugo, pass the water," Suigetsu said lazily from a sleeping bag opposite of Sasuke. "You're MADE of water," Karin complained as the tall red-head complied. "Doesn't mean I want to drink myself woman," the blue boy muttered before he took a swig out of the canteen that was handed to him, rolling his eyes before Karin's fist punched through his arm._

_Sasuke leaned back against a pillar that was behind his own sleeping bag and gazed up at the black sky through a hole in the ceiling, his arm resting on his knee which was drawn up to his chest. "Sasuke," Juugo's soft voice called from his right. Turning his head in the ginger's direction, the raven blinked, indicating Juugo should continue._

_"You said we were going to destroy Konoha. But how? We already are working for Akatsuki," Juugo asked. Sasuke was silent for a moment, noticing Karin and Suigetsu had ceased their argument for the moment to listen in not so subtly on the conversation._

_"Eventually they're going to need the Kyuubi," Sasuke replied in monotone. "And when they do they'll send us. It will be the perfect opportunity." "But I heard you were once quite...close to the Jinchūriki," Karin noted. Sasuke slowly turned his cold gaze to her own red eyes, which diverted to the flickering fire. "Whatever bonds I had with that pathetic village are gone now," he said, barely keeping his tone level in his concealed annoyance at the subject._

_"But, you two were like best friends, yeah?" Suigetsu asked and leaned forward, gesturing towards the Uchiha, who clenched his fists. "See what you did Suigetsu," Karin hissed. "You upset Sasuke-kun!" Hearing Karin address himself in such a way made Sasuke think of Sakura. "Maybe if you hadn't brought it up, this wouldn't be happening, woman!" Suigetsu hissed._

_An image of a pissed off young blonde flashed in front of Sasuke's eyes. "You're such a prick!" The illusion said. "Guys, calm down..." Juugo said quietly. Sasuke stood up suddenly, causing the argument to stop. "I'm going outside," the raven said coldly and stepped around the fire, heading to the temple's entrance. "Geez, look what you did now," Sasuke heard Suigetsu say as he stalked towards the caving in rocks._

_Once the cool night air brushed across his cheeks, Sasuke paused in his stride and turned towards the crumbling stone building, and noticed the only trace of living beings inside of it was the occasional orange and yellow of a fire casting over the faded stone. Released a breath that he didn't realize he was holding, Sasuke tilted his head up to the sky and gazed at the ominous clouds that rolled lazily overhead, darker than shadows in the night._

_The raven continued to look up as he again turned away from the campsite and allowes his feet to carry him into the dark woods surrounding the temple, the treetops eventually obscuring his line of sight to the clouds. Every now and again, a rustle to the right or left causes Sasuke to draw his katana threateningly and glare at whatever had disturbed him, only to find a small family of rabbits or a wild dog cross his path._

_Sasuke paused again once he realized he was going too far away from the temple. Turning around, he realized that..._

_He was lost._

_'Fuck,' he thought and tried to remember or recognize any of the foliage around him, but found that everything looked the same and equally unfamiliar. Cursing out loud, which was something he rarely did, the raven leapt into the nearest tree, pacing up the trunk with chakra-infused feet in irritation to reach the highest branch that would take his weight to peer across the forest in search of the temple._

_Nothing but dark green greeted his eyes._

_Mentally berating himself for the lack of attention that he had paid to his travels, Sasuke activated his Sharnigan in the vain hope that it would see what his normal eyes could not. Again, not even the weather-worn rock of the long since abandoned building reached him._

_Narrowing his eyes as if to peer even farther, Sasuke didn't see anything in any direction except treetop after endless treetop...and then a flare of orange that looked exactly like a campfire. Unexpected relief washed through the Uchiha at the sight, he mentally mapped out the course he should take with his Kekkai Genkai vision and proceeded down the tree to the leaf-strewn ground once more._

_Turning towards his intent, Sasuke began the long trek back to his team once more. Very rarily during his walk was he disturbed by wild animals, which seemes slightly odd considering how abundant this forest seemed to be when it was concerned with wildlife. Sasuke didn't ponder on the question much however, until a wolf came limping towards him, whimpers of pain escaping its jaws and blood dousing its fur._

_Sasuke paused, his eyes locking with the animal's own yellow eyes, which were alit with fear. It keened lowly, stopping as well and kneading at the ground with its front paws, which were stained with more crimson. Seeing that the creature didn't want to attack, Sasuke pondered whether or not to help the wolf in its injured state._

_Because even Sasuke Uchiha wasn't one hundred percent ruthless._

_He strode forward slowly, holding his palms behind his back in a peaceful gesture, as his brother had taught him long ago to do when dealing with scared or injured animals. The wolf snarled once and Sasuke paused, but then it whimpered again and he began to crouch low, coming to the wolf's eye level and locking his own gaze with the creature's._

_"What's wrong," the raven whispered. The wolf whimpered in response, seemingly understanding and turning to the side to reveal and gaping hole in its flesh, the blood oozing and dripping into its now very damp fur. Almost as if something had bitten a decent sized chunk out of the animal's side. Sasuke held back a wince of sympathy. Reaching out slowly, he placed his hand in the scruff of the wolf's neck and scratched at it once while deciding how to address the wound._

_Finding that there was no other way than to take his shirt off and use it as a temporary bandage, Sasuke scowled and did as he had thought, tearing off bits of the cloth as needed to wrap around the wolf's torso, considering there was no stream nearby to wash the blood away. Once his shirt was secured, Sasuke stood up and gazed down at the wolf, who seemed to be thanking him by rubbing its paw on his leg._

_But there was still a concern of infection, and that the wolf wouldn't be able to fend for itself in the coming days. Sasuke pondered his options and sighed, again cursing himself for getting into this. "Want to come with me?" He asked down to the wolf. It seemed to bark in response, and didn't move from its spot, indicating it wanted to follow. Sighing, the Uchiha picked up his katana (which he had dropped on the ground so he could move better) and began to walk forward._

_He paused as the wolf keened again, and Sasuke turned to see the creature limping pitifully slowly behind, unbecoming of such a noble animal like itself. "Fine. I'll carry you then," Sasuke muttered and walked back, wrapping his arms under the wolf's belly and picking it up gingerly, wrapping its torso around his neck. _

_The wolf growled low in its throat once, and for a moment its hot breath brushed over his ear and Sasuke tensed, expecting it to attack. But it did not. Waiting for a few moments to see what the animal would do, Sasuke continued his stride forward, encountering no other animals, until the wolf whimpered._

_Pausing, since the animal seemed quite distressed, Sasuke looked around and barely saw an orange tail covered with bubbles vanish into the bushes. Activating his sharnigan, Sasuke saw that no living thing was in the vicinity except himself and his wounded companion. "We're fine," he muttered and continued to walk until, finally, the temple came into his sight._

_"Sasuke-kun!" Karin squealed and Sasuke saw the red head run towards him. "What is that?" She asked and pointed to the wolf once she reached him, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I found it wounded in the woods," Sasuke replied and turned to Juugo, who was ambling forward towards him. "Can you heal it?" He asked. Juugo nodded._

_"It's a girl, by the way," the ginger stated._

The memory flashed in Sasuke's mind as he sat in a small clearing just outside of Konoha, sweat dripping from his face after practicing tai-jutsu for most of the night, since his chakra was sealed for a year due to the conditions set by the other Kage after his return.

Wiping at his face with his sleeve, Sasuke was about to stand and leave when something rustled in the bushes. Head whipping to the side, Sasuke was able to activate his sharnigan just in time to see a wolf appear before him, a long scar on its side as if long ago something had bitten into its hide.

"You," he whispered, and the wolf growled once, then bounded forward to skid to a halt in front of the raven. "You came all this way just to find me...?" The wolf seemed to nod and reached its head forward to butt its head against his hand. _Her head_, he reminded himself, and reached out to scratch behind her ears. The wolf reminded him of a domestic animal, it seemed so docile to the raven as he stood.

"Want to come back to Konoha with me?" He asked, and again the wolf nodded. Turning, Sasuke found that the wolf easily followed him now as he wound his way down the worn dirt path that led back to the village. And as he passed the clearing that he and the others had discovered earlier, he allowed himself to wince at the carnage he had seen.

Once, he had killed a hundred men and didn't even feel a thing but...what had happened there was awful to see. And to have experienced it must have been terrifying, he realized as he stopped to stare at the space, which was now heavily guarded by several teams of ANBU, probably because the Hokage herself was currently investigating inside.

The wolf had stopped as well, and was suddenly whimpering in fear and pressing close to Sasuke's leg, her yellow gaze locked on the space before them. Sasuke glanced down at the creature and saw that she was shaking, the side with the scar shivering heavily as she panted.

And then it hit Sasuke, almost as clearly as a blow to the face. Whatever had attacked his wolfish friend months ago had done this horrible act to the travelers, just outside of Konoha's walls.


	6. Abandonment

Abandonment

**Sakura**

_two years later..._

"Oi! Sakura!" Kiba called, and the rosette turned from the injured man she was currently treating, who had been trapped inside of the burning home that she along with a combination of Team Guy, the former Team Asuma, and various others had responded to. "Stay here," she said soothingly to the man on the bunk, who nodded and clenched his jaw while she sat up.

"What is it Kiba," she sighed as she made her way across the make-shift medical tent towards the dog-boy, who was clutching his shoulder oddly. "I was trying to move some debris and I dislocated my shoulder," the brunette complained and Akamaru barked by his side. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Who were you working with then?" She asked as she moved to examine Kiba's wound.

"Ino and Lee," Kiba muttered and winced as Sakura poked at his shoulder blade. "Watch it! Geez, for a medical nin you aren't that gentle..." Sakura snorted. "And for a shinobi you aren't that tough," she retorted and placed her palms over the dislocated socket. "This'll hurt," she warned and reached for a spare plank of wood that was conveniently laying on a table near her. "Bite on this."

Kiba complied and opened his mouth so Sakura could place the plank in his jaw, the brunette clenching down tight as Sakura prepared to push down on the bone. "One...two...three," she said smoothly and pressed down. Kiba yelled into the wood as the bone clicked back into place, the plank nearly shattering in his teeth. He stood, panting, for a few moments while clutching at the newly fixed joint.

"Ow!" He groaned. Sakura laughed and went back to her medical kit to fetch the dog-boy a sling. Returning, she found Akamaru licking Kiba's hand comfortingly, or at least she assumed it was comfortingly as he handed him the sling. "Put this around your forearm," she instructed, and secured the band around his shoulder once he had done so. "Thanks Sakura," Kiba said gratefully and turned away. "Not so fast dog-breath," Sakura called.

"You have to stay here so you can get checked over." Kiba groaned. "Come on Sakura," he complained. "You just fixed my shoulder." "And you gotta make sure you aren't injured even more," Sakura replied with a sly smile and shoved the brunette towards two other medic-nin. "Check him over," she called as they caught the fumbling shinobi as she turned back to her original patient, who was staring up at the cloth ceiling of the tent.

"Okay," she sighed out when she sat back down on her stool next to his bunk. "I'll be sending you off to the hospital. You have very severe burns across your right pectoral and your ankle is fractured..." "Sakura!" Sakura grit her teeth as _another_ familiar voice interrupted her. "Excuse me," she said politely and stood, turning to stalk over to her current summoner with a very pissed off expression.

Sasuke was staring back at her complacently as she stopped in front of him with her hands on her hips. "What," she hissed and gestured back to her patient. "I'm sort of busy right now Sasuke-_kun!" _Sasuke blinked. "I can see that," he stated. Sakura tapped her foot impatiently on the ground when the raven didn't continue. "Well? What do you need?" The rosette asked. "Kya* burnt her paw," the Uchiha said and stepped aside to reveal the grey and russett wolf limping, her right paw held gingerly in the air.

Sympathy softened Sakura's expression, but her eyes were still hard as she glanced back up at the intruding human. "I'm not a vet Sasuke," she muttered. "Sorry, but if you need Scarlett treated I suggest you go find an Inuzuka and get one of them to help." She turned to head back to her patient when Sasuke's hand clasped on her shoulder, spinning her back around, his eyes blood-red with the sharnigan as she met his gaze. "There's none around," he muttered menacingly.

Not wanting to admit she was frightened, Sakura narrowed her own gaze. "Sasuke, I am treating someone right now! It can wait," she hissed. Sasuke glared at her, but his sharnigan vanished as he stepped back. "As soon as you're done, treat Kya," he demanded. "As if I have a choice in the matter," the rosette muttered and turned to walk back, _again, _to her patient. "As I was saying," she said pleasantly as she sat down again.

"You have severe burns and your ankle is fractured. So I'm going to have a team of medics escort you back to the village, alright?" She asked, smiling. The patient nodded, his jaw stiff with the effort. "Thank you very much...uh..." "Sakura," she said. "Thank you, Sakura-san," the man said thankfully. She stood. "You're very welcome," she replied. Then, sighing, she turned back to yelp, seeing Sasuke standing not even two feet behind her with his arms crossed.

"I'm getting to it Sasuke, wait a second," she muttered and stepped around the agitated raven and waved at some spare medic-nin that were bustling about. "Get him to the emergency ward would you?" She asked the group of four that came by. They bowed. "Hai, Sakura-san," they stated in unison and ran past her. Turning, she again saw Sasuke standing _very _close to her back, Kya pressed close to his leg._  
_

Bending down, she gently took the singed paw that the wolf was holding in the air into her palm, examining the extent of the damage to the skin and nerves underneath. "Sasuke-kun, do me a favor and hand me that roll of bandages by my table," she muttered as she reached for a burn salve that had rolled onto the floor. The raven seemed to have complied as a pile of white was shoved into her waiting palm. "Thanks," she said and began to tear strips with her teeth while applying the lotion to Kya's paw.

As she dressed the wound, the rosette heard Sasuke suddenly inhale sharply and looked up at the raven, who was staring down at his hands blankly. "What's wrong?" She asked as she placed another careful strip of bandage around the burn. Kya whimpered, seemingly asking the same thing. "Today was two years, wasn't it," the Uchiha muttered. Sakura lowered her eyes as the subject that she wanted to push out of her mind for the morning crashed back into her thoughts.

"Yeah," she mumbled and reached for a clip to hold the dressing in place. Standing straight, Kya gingerly placed her paw on the ground before staring up at Sakura with grateful yellow eyes. "We're going out to look later," Sasuke demanded and turned to face her fully with his arms crossed over his chest, which was covered by a standard black shinobi shirt. "While I agree that we should," Sakura said and waved away a man who was holding an ice pack to his head.

"Sasuke-kun, I have other duties. I'm the leader of this medical team and-" "Sakura," Sasuke pleaded and leaned forward. "Please, I am asking you kindly to come with me. Shikamaru said there's been a sighting and-" "Sasuke-kun, I didn't say no!" Sakura interrupted and placed a restraining hand on Sasuke's arm. "I'll have to put someone else in charge, and then we can get _everyone _together and we can all go to look."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "We'll be waiting outside," he muttered and turned, Kya seeming to sigh and roll her eyes before turning to follow her master out of the tent. _Such an intelligent creature, _Sakura thought as she turned to find Shizune, who was busy trying to remove shards of glass from a child's arm. "Shizune-san," Sakura said politely.

"Yes, Sakura?" The ravenette asked, her tongue poking out from between her teeth in concentration. "If you don't mind, I have a sudden mission I need to attend to. Would you mind watching over my team for the time being?" "...Sure," Shizune muttered as she dropped a piece of glass into a tray. "Thanks," Sakura called and ran to her station, taking her Jounin vest off and putting on her black gloves before walking briskly to the tent entrance, where as she walked outside she indeed found Sasuke sitting on the ground, eyes closed, with Kya circling his form.

One onyx eye opened to peer at the rosette as she walked his way. "Kya already went to alert everyone for me. It's their fault if they don't show," Sasuke muttered as Sakura opened her own mouth to suggest finding Team Guy first. "...Okay," she said and leaned back, looking up at the cloudy grey sky, sighing. The same as always, she noted. It seemed that with Naruto gone, the light of day went with him and now life in Konoha was as dark and dreary as the Rain Country, always cold and grey without end, no sun in sight for months.

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

"Alright, is everyone here?" Sakura asked. "Yep!" Lee replied boastfully and shot his fist into the air, TenTen smacking his head and causing him to collapse to the ground with a pout. "Where will we be going right now?" Neji called. Sakura looked to Shikamaru, who was standing with his hands in his pockets to her right. "There's an old residential district outside of a small trading village," the lazy genius said, pulling a cigarette out of his left pocket and drawing it to his lips. "Supposedly people have seen a blonde man running around there, with whisker scars on his cheeks."

"Naruto!" Choji shouted. Shikamaru nodded. "Most likely," he said. "But the reports also state the person is also very violent. Whatever's going on isn't going to be pretty." Sasuke shifted on Sakura's other side, and Kya growled, causing Akamaru to bark in response. "Let's go," the raven said and turned, Sai close on his heels. "Get in the usual teams then," Shikamaru stated with a wave of his hand.

"Here we go," Ino sighed with Hinata close behind her, the two girls flanking Sakura on either side as the shinobi leaped off into the treetops, following Shikamaru, Choji, and Neji as the three took the lead. "You don't want to look, Ino-kun?" Hinata asked from Sakura's left, turning her head to gaze at the blonde, who flicked her ponytail over her shoulder as she ran. "Of course I do," Ino retorted. "Naruto's my friend. But don't you think Sasuke-kun is getting a little...obsessive?"

Sakura looked ahead to where the raven was running, Kya and Akamaru following closely on the forest floor below. "We all want to find him Ino," Sakura murmured, her eyes still on Sasuke's back. "Some of us more than others." Ino nodded. "But haven't you noticed he's the one organizing all of these searches?" She asked. "Kiba-kun and I were going to go look regardless," Hinata said softly, her hair accidentally hitting Sakura's cheek as she jumped.

"And Ino, you didn't have to come," Sakura offered. "I know that!" Ino said loudly, earning her an odd look from Neji and from Sai who were slightly ahead of the girls. "I wanted to come and help, but no-one organizes these huge searches anymore except Sasuke-kun and Hokage-sama!" Sakura sighed, her foot impacting roughly on the branch that she landed on. "Ino, I know that I at least will always keep looking until we find him," Sakura whispered.

"I didn't say that I want to give up Sakura, but look at the facts. We haven't found him in two years, how likely is it that he is even alive?" Ino retorted, and Hinata gasped. "D-don't say that, Ino-kun!" the young Hyuuga heiress exclaimed. "We must always have hope." Sakura nodded in agreement, and Ino scowled. "Sakura," Sasuke called from up ahead, and the rosette exchanged a confused look with her companions before jumping ahead to run next to the Uchiha.

"Yes Sasuke-kun?" She asked once she reached him. "Shikamaru needs you to look at Kiba," the raven replied and nodded to the brunette in question, who was gritting his teeth in obvious pain, his sling gone. Sakura nodded, turning to stop in front of Kiba, who yelled at her sudden obstruction while everyone else pelted by. "Sakura! What the hell?" The dog-boy asked, and Sakura crossed her arms. "Where's your sling?" She asked with thinly veiled malice, her voice sickly sweet with the effort.

Kiba swallowed nervously. "Heheh...must've fallen off," he said sheepishly and scratched at the back of his head. Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Akamaru will take you back to Konoha," she said and poked her finger into his chest. "And you will go to the hospital and get checked out for a concussion, and get your shoulder examined. Am I clear?" "But Sakura-" Kiba began to complain, but she held her hand up to interrupt.

"Don't argue with me Kiba," the rosette said and held up her fist menacingly. Whatever the brunette saw in her expression, he paled, causing his red fang tattoos to stand out in greater contrast against his cheeks and he backed away, Akamaru leaping into the branches with his tongue lolling lazily from his mouth. "See you soon," Sakura said cheerfully and waved, turning to run off and catch up with the rest of the group.

As she made her way through the treetops and scanned the foliage for her teammates chakra, Ino's voice screamed from up ahead. _"SAKURA!" _She screeched, and the tone of her voice sent a chill through Sakura's spine. "Ino!" She called back and pushed her legs harder, cursing the fact that dealing with Kiba even had to have occured. She saw that everyone's chakra suddenly dropped to the forest floor, and she followed it to find herself standing in front of crumbling buildings and stone streets, weeds growing from the cracks within the rock.

Ino sprinted towards her then, blood streaking from the left half of her face. "What happened?!" Sakura shouted and ran to meet her friend, gripping her shoulders. "There's something..." Ino gasped out, the rest of their friends emerging from various houses, covered in blood and bruises. "There's something in there," Ino whispered and pointed to the largest house, where Kya sat howling in distress. "It got Sasuke-kun."

* * *

Before you begin making assumptions, I'm going to say that what got to Sasuke was _not _Naruto. :)

* I got the idea for Kya's name by thinking about Kyuubi. "Kyu"-"Kya", get it? Lol. Anyways, Kya's full name is "Kyabi", because Sasuke decided to get all sentimental and name Kya after the Kyuubi, which is what Naruto is the Jinchūriki for (as you know. Duh). Kya is pronounced "Kh-ya". I honestly think Kya is more of a domestic husky rather than a wolf, idk why.

So, I didn't really describe Kya that well this chapter or last, so she's mostly grey, except for her paws, which are white. She has russet fur on her back and the tip of her tail, and the left half of her body is where she has her scar, by her hind leg. Her eyes are yellow, and she has a small scar under her left one from a fight with a rival female over territory. I actually think she's a cute little wolf. -insert heart emoticon here-

So until next time, I offer you a face-lick from Kya ^_^ bai!


	7. Blind

Blind

**Sasuke**

It was dark. That was all Sasuke's senses could register as he blinked his tired eyes open, only to sit confused for a moment when blackness greeted his pupils. Trying to move his wrists, he heard the jingle of chains and he sighed, and then he felt a warm substance drip from his temple to his chin. Raising his hand, he rubbed at the liquid with his finger and, since he was unable to see even with his sharnigan, which he discovered with distraught, placed his finger on his tongue.

"Blood," he speculated aloud and noticed he had a pounding headache. Running his palm through strands of hair that were sticking to his sweaty and bloody forehead, Sasuke tried to move his legs and found with relief that they were unchained, and that he could easily preform seals with his hands. "Idiots," he snorted aloud as he raised his fingers to create the proper seals to blow this place to bits. But as he brought his fingers together, a spark formed between his hands that stung at his skin and he shouted as his hands were thrown away from each other.

"...Shit."

Tugging his wrists in front of himself again, Sasuke tried to pull the chains free from the wall behind himself and found with dismay that they were securely locked into the structure. Activating his sharnigan again, Sasuke tried his hardest to peer into the darkness that lay in front of him, and could barely make out a shimmering in the air, barely noticeable even to his trained Kekkai Genkai vision.

_A concealing jutsu, _he thought worriedly. Whoever had captured him was good...and besides, did they get to anyone else? All Sasuke could remember was leaping down into the abandoned residences, Shikamaru and Sai at his sides and Kya right behind him...then something grabbing hold of his arm and roughly dragging him away into the dark. "Welcome...Sasuke," a voice then spoke from in front of the raven, breaking him from his thoughts.

The Uchiha swiveled his head to the right as he heard footsteps approaching from that direction. "Who are you," he snarled and stood, his hands still chained to the wall. A low chuckle filled the room and Sasuke felt the tips of his hair brush the ceiling as he stood straight. "Don't you remember?.." The voice hissed and a light suddenly filled Sasuke's eyes, blinding him and causing him to cover his face with his hands.

"No," he muttered in reply, taking his hands away from his eyes slowly as his pupils adjusted to the shift in lighting. Then he saw the white and black mask, the three tomoes covering the wood, the navy blue robe and the gloved hands. "Madara," he gasped out despite himself and narrowed his sharnigan-filled eyes. "Tsk tsk," Madara wiggled his finger in the air and seemed to appraise Sasuke, tilting his hidden head to the side. "That isn't any way to greet your superior clan member, Sasuke..."

Sasuke scowled and wrenched his wrists against the metal binds again. "What do you want," he muttered as Madara inched ever closer, the red of his sharnigan and the purple of the rinnegan flashing dangerously in those two black holes in that mask that promised death. "You do not remember?" Madara laughed lowly, hoarsely without humor in his voice. "You know of my plan, yes?"

Sasuke attempted to shoot a questioning look in his kinsmen's direction as his cold, gloved fingers closed around his chin, forcing the raven to glare into those red and purple eyes. "I know nothing," Sasuke snarled and attempted to rip his face from Madara's grip. "The Juubi?" Madara asked lightly, and a cold pit of fear suddenly opened in Sasuke's chest as he remembered why Akatsuki had originally been targeting...

"I don't know where Naruto is," Sasuke snarled ferociously, fighting against his bindings again and shooting daggers with his eyes into Madara's masked face. "And if I did, I wouldn't tell you. I've changed Madara, and-" "Yes, yes," the masked man yawned and interrupted the raven, waving his free hand in the air carelessly. "I'm well aware of how you crawled back to Konoha when the pressure of your best friend's disappearance became too much for your fragile mind to handle.

"But I'm not keeping you here to ask where Naruto could or could not be. No, I'm here for...a family reunion." Sasuke narrowed his eyes again. "I hardly consider you family, much less an ally," he muttered, Madara releasing his chin and stepping back to reveal a glowing fireball hovering in the air. "Nonetheless," the elder Uchiha said dismissively. "I'd like you to meet...the real Uchiha Madara."

Sasuke clenched his fists at his side, figuring the man was toying with him. "You are Madara," he growled and tugged again on his restraints, despite the fact that it was useless. A cold laugh that didn't belong to the masked man before the raven responded. "This boy is not as smart as I have heard," a much deeper voice proclaimed, sending shivers down Sasuke's spine, the evil in that voice not escaping the raven.

Then a figure clad in strange red armor stepped into the fireball's light, his long, spiky raven hair draping down his back and an Eternal Mangekyo Sharnigan glowing deep in his eyes, narrowed in malice...in Sasuke's direction. The youngest Uchiha flinched away unconsciously. "Uchiha Sasuke," the man breathed, and Sasuke noticed his skin was papery and dry...like Itachi's had been when he had been revived by Edo Tensei.

Sasuke pushed back the disbelief that was flooding his mind and erasing every other thought that dominated his brain. "If you're Madara," he asked suspiciously and turned his gaze towards the masked man. "Then who are you?" The masked Uchiha laughed. "Show him," the real Madara commanded, and the man raised his hand to cup the front of the mask, drawing it away slowly from his face.

Sasuke suppressed a gasp at what he saw. The right half of the man's face was wrinkled and distorted as if something had crushed it long ago, the red sharnigan glowing in his eye while the left side of his face held the rinnegan, the black rings standing out against the deep purple, while his short, spiky hair held the familiar Uchiha darkness to it.

"Uchiha Obito, at your service," the man said mockingly and bowed. "But, you're dead," Sasuke managed to say without stuttering. "Both of you...I don't understand how you survived, either of you! Itachi ended the Edo Tensei...and Obito died saving Kakashi from a rockslide...!" Obito laughed, and Madara chuckled quietly from further behind, their voices mingling in the air and suffocating Sasuke.

Sasuke glowered forward as a tingle ran through his fingers after he tried to form seals again, then an idea occured to him that...they hadn't taken off his arm guards, which held summoning seals for all sorts of ninja blades, and if he could find the right one...he could slice through these chains as if they were butter. Fighting to keep a knowing smirk from rising to his lips, the Uchiha kept his eyes trained on his clansmen as they paced further forward until Obito was again standing right in front of the Uchiha's face.

"I'm here to make you a deal," Obito said and Sasuke turned his head away to avoid the man's glare. "I'm not interested," he spat out. Madara chuckled from behind Obito. "You indeed have the Uchiha's pride," the eldest said praisingly. "This deal, I think, will benefit you nicely," Obito hissed and Sasuke grimaced as he tried to find the right knife to cut through the metal links restraining his wrists.

"Again, not, _interested,_" Sasuke muttered. "You haven't even heard what we have to say," Obito replied and backed away, arms clasped behind his back. Sasuke held his own behind his waist as well, trying still to find a decent weapon to escape with. "I've changed Mada-...Obito. I'm on Konoha's side," Sasuke hissed then. "Even after knowing what they did to your brother?" Obito whispered and the youngest Uchiha silently cursed at how quickly the man had caught onto his weakness.

"My proposal, Sasuke, is this: let us get to the Hokage. She's lived for too long...let us inside Konoha, and..." "We'll tell you where the Kyuubi is," Madara muttered when Obito trailed off and Sasuke froze in his search for a weapon. "No-one knows where he is," the raven shouted. "We don't even know if he's _alive_!" Madara chuckled again. "And what if he is?" The eldest replied silkily, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You don't know that," Sasuke replied and felt satisfaction as his fingers brushed against the jagged blade of a chakra kunai, the grooves humming as he attempted to pour his Katon-based chakra into the weapon. "Neither do you," Obito replied. "Then why should I hand over the Hokage to you if there isn't a guarantee you can hold up your end of the bargain?" Sasuke demanded, slipping his fingers into the blade.

"You'll see," Obito murmured, and Sasuke finally allowed himself to smirk, which caused both men in front of them to look sharply at his wrists, which flashed in front of his face as the sound of metal clashing on metal filled to room, and then the links binding Sasuke's right arm toppled to the ground. "Fool," Madara hissed and suddenly a dense black filled the room, evil chakra surpressing Sasuke on all sides and he recognized it immediately.

"Susano'o," he muttered to himself and activated his own purple chakra guardian as rocks tumbled all around him, narrowly avoiding his head and arms while he leapt to avoid the swinging black blade aimed at his neck. Seeing light suddenly explode above him, the raven leapt towards the source, eyes narrowed against the crumbling bits of stone and wood falling rapidly towards him.

Cursing when he felt that Kusanagi's familiar weight was missing from his waist, Sasuke continued his ascent even when he saw an evil yellow eye appear on the edge of his vision, and underneath in it's armored depth was Madara, who was keeping pace with the younger Uchiha easily. "I think you misunderstood Obito," the elder said simply and pushed himself off of a wooden plank sticking out of the wall. Sasuke grit his teeth and didn't reply as the light above him grew stronger, becoming sunlight...and the outlined forms of people sticking their heads over the edge of a hole.

"Sasuke!" Some yelled and Sasuke saw Sakura and Ino leaning down, arms outstretched to him. Shikamaru's face was near distorted in concentration next to the kunochi, and the Uchiha saw the shadows around himself flicker and shoot towards Madara, who narrowed his eyes at Sasuke as his Susano'o grew in size drastically and its skeletal form became cloaked in flesh and armor, yellow eyes becoming encased by a black helmet.

Wind rushed in his ears as the edge of the crater that the two Susano'os had created came into view and he pushed his legs harder on rare bits of stone and wood that remained lodged in the walls surrounding him, chakra keeping him sticking to surfaces when pure strength failed him. He saw Neji and Sai then, running forward and leaping into the hole, Sai holding his ink and scroll and Neji with an arm held out for Sasuke to grasp.

"Are you insane," the raven hissed as he took the Hyuuga's arm in his palm, noticing now that all three were falling all the way back down. "No," Neji replied calmly and Sasuke looked over his shoulder to see Madara frozen on the wall, shaking as his evil red eyes filled with rage while shadows connected to his legs and arms on all sides.

Then Sasuke noticed they were hovering, and he looked up to see Neji's torso held by giant black and white talons, connected to an ink hawk, upon which sat Sai holding his scroll in his lap, drawing more lines on the paper with his eyes trained on Madara. "Thanks," he relucantly muttered, and Neji nodded as they began to move upward. "No matter how much you don't like hearing it Sasuke-san, you have people who care about you," Sai called down and Sasuke snorted.

Once his feet touched the ground, he was met with a faceful of pink hair as Sakura ran forward to embrace him, tears soaking into Sasuke's most likely dirty black shirt. "Three days," he heard her whisper and looked up to see everyone who had accompanied him (minus Kiba, however Akamaru was sitting on the fringe of the group) watching him with grateful eyes.

Needless to say, the Uchiha was shocked.

Normally, it was Naruto who had recieved this kind of affection from these people, the kind of compassion and worry that was now directed at _him. _But the proof was before him now...the shinobi before Sasuke actually cared about him.

This was totally new to the Uchiha as he gazed around at the smiling teenagers with wide eyes. He was used to people hating him or worshipping him wherever he went, always one extreme to the next and never, _never _thinking of him as an equal, except for one person. And that one person had inspired in everyone around Sasuke now the need to care, the need to help him when he falls and be there for him no matter what.

The need to be a friend.

Sasuke's breath hitched and he remembered Sakura was still attached to him, her arms tight around his sides. So as if she were a foreign creature that had to be handled with caution, Sasuke raised one arm slowly and carefully wrapped it around her shoulders, and Choji laughed from off to the side, everyone else slowly joining in and more bodies pressed against Sasuke on all sides. His eyes widened to comical proportions as laughter filled his ears, music that he hadn't heard in...well, he couldn't even remember the last time people had laughed around him, _for _him.

Then someone coughed and the huddle broke up, and Sakura backed away with a smile on her face, and Sasuke turned to face Shikamaru, who was looking back with strained eyes and his hands clasped in a seal over his chest. "We still have your crazy family member to deal with," the lazy boy said, and Sasuke nodded. Stalking forward to peer over the edge of the large crater where the head family's estate had once been, Sasuke indeed saw Madara still suspended on a wall, Susano'o flickering around him dangerously.

"His body is an Edo Tensei body," Sasuke told Shikamaru slowly, and the brunette nodded. "We don't have any way of sealing him or taking him with us," the boy replied tensely. "Should we just let him fall then?" Sasuke nodded. "Obito will catch him," he muttered and turned away, letting Shikamaru do his work. Walking back towards his...friends...Sasuke saw Kya pelting towards him with her tongue lolling out of her mouth, yellow eyes wide with excitement and relief as she pounced on him, knocking him to the ground with her paws on his shoulders.

"Someone's happy to see me," Sasuke noted and scratched at Kya's ears, and she howled shortly in reply. "Everyone is," Hinata said softly from his left, and Sasuke looked up to see her pale, pupiless eyes shining. He looked around again and saw everyone gazing back with relief apparent in their eyes, relief that he was okay and out of danger.

Just like Naruto's eyes would have been if he were here.

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

**Sakura**

_He looks so happy, _Sakura thought as she watched Sasuke stand up with Kya still gripping his shoulders, rising onto her hind legs in order to do so. She smiled to herself as the raven looked over at her with onyx eyes brimming with unspoken gratitude, but what for was lost to her reasoning as his head vanished in Choji's wide embrace and Lee boisterous shouting.

Ino and TenTen walked up slowly to the rosette as she watched the guys slowly converge on Sasuke, and Hinata stood uncertainly on the fray of the crowd, wringing her hands nervously as she waited for Neji to emerge. "He certainly seems pleased," TenTen noted and fidgeted at the scroll on her back. "Yeah," Ino agreed and Sakura nodded, glancing over the once luxurious buildings surrounding the large group.

And she could have sworn as her eyes passed over the entrance to the complex she saw a flash of blonde hair and crimson red eyes vanish into the treeline.

* * *

Sorry this took so long! Anyways, I have my updating schedule up on my profile and it is going into effect next week, so for now this week is solely Crimson Eyes based, and next week begins Summer and Winter! Yay~! Okay, so in case you're confused about Madara and Obito and all that shtick, I changed to main manga arc slightly so that Naruto left right before he was SUPPOSED to go train with Killer B, and the rest of the shinobi fought the war, yada yada, Madara and Obito disappeared because they couldn't get the Kyuubi.

Sasuke already fought Kabuto with Itachi and obviously Itachi ended the Edo Tensei, but they didn't bring Orochimaru back, and instead Sasuke just left and wandered around until Kakashi and Sai found him. All the Kage survived the fight wi Madara because fuck logic I want them alive so they're alive, and yeah. That's all I can think of as far as changing the plotline goes.

As a hint for next time, I'm just gonna say that I sent Kiba back to Konoha for a reason, and a big one. :) See you all next chapter!


	8. The Deadly Scent

The Deadly Scent

**Kiba**

"Fuck," Kiba hissed to himself as he propped himself up on his left elbow in the empty hospital room, right arm held in a sling and a bandage around his head. The brunette glared at the opposite wall as if it had done this to himself, when in reality a piece of wood and a rock had given him these injuries.

Still, he preferred to think he had been ambushed, as he had already told his own family, and Shino's, and Hinata's, _and_ Ino's, and planned to tell Shikamaru's and Choji's...damn, he had to stop lying.

"Kiba-san?" A soft voice spoke from the doorway to his left. "Mmm, yeah?" He mumbled and turned his head to see a young female nurse with her brunette hair swinging behind her back in a sky blue dress with white trimming around the waist enter the room, her brown eyes soft and looking straight at him. His heart started to race and he felt a blush rush to his cheeks. Thank Kami he had those tattoos there or he would have been fucked! And not in the good way...

"The doctor says you're free to go," she said shyly and reached out to his wrist to help him swing his legs over the edge of the thin hospital bed. He diverted his gaze from her face as his feet landed on the cold tiles. "Ah! Cold! Cold!" The dog boy hissed and hopped from foot to foot, each step causing tingles to run up his legs. The girl giggled and held up a pair of shinobi sandals in her fist. Kiba took them gratefully and slipped them on. "Thanks," he breathed out and tried to adjust the sling on his arm.

"Here," the nurse said and wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers dancing on the base of his hair as she fiddled with the strap that held his arm up. "There you go," she said happily and Kiba felt immediate relief rush through his arm as an unknown weight was lifted from his shoulder. "T-thank you," he stuttered out as she stood up straight and took a few steps back.

"You must be, like, a nurse or something!" He said lamely in an attempt to make conversation as they walked towards the doorway. The young brunette giggled. "That's why I'm here," she replied and led the way down the hall to an elevator. "So, uh, you obviously know my name," Kiba said as they stepped into the confined space. "What's yours?" The girl giggled again.

"I'm Muraoka Hikaru*," she said sweetly, smiling as the stainless steel doors slid open in front of them. "Weird name," Kiba commenting, and Hikaru giggled. "I get that a lot," she replied as they passed various doctors, one of whom stopped the pair to inquire Kiba about his family and dog, both of whom were fairing well Kiba replied, then they continued on their way to the reception desk. "Well...I'll see you later," Kiba yawned out and turned to say goodbye to the cute brunette but...she was already gone.

"Huh?" Kiba scratched at the back of his head with his free hand while turning on the spot, trying to see where his cute companion had disappeared off to, but it was in vain as he did not find her in the thinning crowds of the waiting room or the various hallways that branched off into the hospital wards. "Aw man," he groaned and made his way into the cool night air, closing his eyes and imaging Hikaru's brown eyes in his mind as he stepped into the small groups of people making their way up and down the street.

"I actually could have had a shot with her too...!" Kiba continued to complain while he wound his way through the market district, hand behind his neck as he gazed at the stands without interest. "I don't want to go home yet either..." He mumbled, completely let down after losing the brunette nurse, who in actuality the dog boy knew he most likely had a better chance of finding the lost city of Atlantis than actually asking her out.

But a dog doesn't give up chasing its own tail. Instead, it just runs harder to catch that damn annoying stick of fur in its jaws-! "Ow!" Kiba exclaimed as he rammed head-first into a tree, bits of leaves raining down around him. "What the hell...?" The brunette gazed around himself in confusion, and saw the twinkling lights of Konoha shining over a small stream and red wood bridge. Apparently, he had crossed over into the empty training grounds...

Kiba glanced over at the three wooden poles standing in the clearing next to him and sighed, saddened, as he remembered Naruto showing this place to him one time and exclaiming it was where he had "kicked Sasuke-teme's ass!" so many times. The brunette snorted at the memory and sat down, propping himself up on his left elbow to gaze at the clear night sky.

"I wonder how they're all doing," he yawned as his thoughts trailed to the search party Sasuke had organized two days ago, and in particular Akamaru, whom had been sent back by Shikamaru's father to help scout out for scents, since Kiba was next to useless. And then back to Hikaru, and her gorgeous face, her laugh...then back to Shikamaru's dad. "Way to put it that way old man," Kiba grumbled aloud and scratched into the dirt under his hand, carving the Konoha leaf symbol into the ground.

And then his nose twitched, just as a vile smell reached his nostrils. "Gah!" He coughed and stood quickly, cursing when he felt a twinge of pain lance up his bicep and into his shoulder blade. "What the fuck is that...?" He groaned out as another wave of the God-awful stench seemed to almost physically smack him in the face, sending him reeling back and against the tree he had walked into earlier.

His arm was almost screaming signals to his brain that it was _on fire _as Kiba desperately covered his over-sensitive nose with his left sleeve and narrowed his watering eyes, scanning the clearing for whatever was producing that, well, death-scented smell! There was no other way for Kiba to describe it, just the stench of reeking decay and sorrow...

Another wave hit him and Kiba groaned at the sheer awfulness of the situation, staggering forward and desperately trying to find the source of the smell so he could either clean it up or _get the fuck out! _The smell was everywhere though, and wherever Kiba turned a fresh blast made his eyes water and his nose flare and try to clench up at the same time. How was the even fucking possible?!

"Shit," he growled out past clenched teeth and chose a random break in the tree line surrounding the clearing to enter through, and as his shuffling foot entered the first line of ferns and long grass, movement shuffled further in front of him, and an even stronger wave made Kiba gag and retch dryly to the side, eyes closed. "What...the fuck...is here," he called out brokenly, throat scratchy from the dry heaving he had just been through.

A low growl replied him, and Kiba froze. Why was that sound so familiar...? Stalking forward, Kiba felt the animal instincts that had been drilled into him as a child take over and he snarled in reply, remembering how to react when a wild animal was on the offensive, and how the animal that was being attacked in response. And in this scenario, Kiba was the defendant.

A hiss sounded from a bush that was set ahead, up a hill and to the right slightly, and the dark foliage shifted slightly. Kiba sniffed reluctantly and indeed the strong stench oozed from that area in great abundance, and his upper lip curled into a sneer, much like a dog's, and he snarled lowly again. A warning. Another violent keen replied, and Kiba understood the message well: _Back. Off._

But that didn't mean the brunette would simply follow the order. Crouching low, Kiba analyzed his surroundings and found that if indeed whatever was in those bushes decided to come out and fight, it would be an uphill battle. That, and the wind was at his back, meaning wherever he went the creature could trace his scent and always have the upper hand. Reaching towards his right thigh, Kiba cursed low through his teeth when he found that his weapons pouch was missing from his leg.

_Damn old man, _the dog boy thought furiously, cursing Shikamaru's father to hell for taking the thing home. And then he remembered Akamaru wasn't there either, and since most of his combat moves involved his partner in some way, and he was next to useless as far as jutsus went without the dog, _and _his right arm was in a sling , well...

Kiba was so fucked.

As he made his way slowly up the incline that led up to the shadowy bushes, another deep snarl sounded and Kiba unleashed a harsh bark in reply, clawing his way with one hand through soft dirt and decaying leaves that were splotched with spots of moonlight as he went. The brunette then froze as movement came from up ahead, and harsh, inhuman yowls and growls came from the leaves, and then something orange and red burst into the trees and suddenly flickered, vanishing.

Kiba stared up at the place where the blur had been, eyes narrowed as he scanned around himself for any sign of the sight. Nothing. Sniffing again, he found that the scent had nearly vanished...except for a slight trace that still trickled into the air from up ahead. He made his way quickly up the hill after that, making his way towards the bush and pushing away sticks and leaves...

To find Muraoka Hikaru's lifeless brown eyes staring up at him with her mouth parted in an eternal scream.

* * *

*Muraoka Hikaru means Nameless Evil in Japanese. I just thought of something random lol, it doesn't apply to the storyline at all.

I'm sorry this chapter is so short! / I just didn't have a lot of inspiration to continue Kiba's POV after that point...so now I'm going to start working on S/W (Summer and Winter), and Corax (my Teen Titans fic), and thus my time is going to be split evenly amongst the stories. Most likely I'm going to focus on this story until it's completed though, so expect chapters to be longer here and possibly shorter for S/W and definitely shorter for Corax.

Other than that, I assume that a big unknown right now is, were Obito and Madara defeated? Well if not I'ma answer anyways. So, since Obito started the war in the hopes of getting the Kyuubi and the Hachibi, and reviving Madara, he didn't plan on Naruto running out like he did (no-one did, lol). But Killer B is alive, they didn't get Hachibi, but for this story he isn't gonna come into play. But I imagine he's still writing raps in solitary confinement.

So in essence, the war is at a stalemate. Obito withdrew the Zetsus and Kabuto is wandering around aimlessly like a lost soul cause I have no purpose for him in this story lol. And Madara is a lazy ass who doesn't wanna go look himself so pretty much Naruto's somewhere and no-one knows where he is. Yay!


	9. Loneliness

Loneliness

**Sasuke**

"Finally home," Lee yawned out as he scuffed his feet in the dirt path leading into Konoha's front gates. The rest of the group mumbled their agreements and even Sasuke was willing to admit that he was beaten down from the extra four days they all had spent in the abandoned district, combing over even the smallest rock for any trace of chakra that belonged to Naruto.

There had been no trace of any human being in the complex, much to everyone's disappointment. But no-one was as upset by the lack of discovery as much as Sasuke, who as Sakura described seemed to have an almost visible thundercloud pouring rain onto his head hovering above him like a misshapen halo.

And indeed, as the Uchiha passed under the now easily familiar wooden doors, he felt failure crawl sickeningly up his chest and the knowledge that once again the trail had been a false lead as everyone murmured their farewells and took their separate paths to their various residences, leaving Sasuke and Sakura alone in the now deserted main road.

"Um...Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, and the raven turned his gaze to her while quickly hiding his grief under his normal emotionless mask. "Yes?" He inquired and began to walk forward, Sakura trailing him by his side. "Are you...okay?" She said softly and glanced over at him as they side-stepped a group of tired children trudging their way down the path.

"...I'm fine," he said shortly, not in the mood for a heart-to-heart, regardless of what had occurred between himself and the rest of their friends four days prior. It didn't make him any less of an "emotionless Ice Prince" as Kiba would say...and a certain other blonde whom Sasuke did not want to think of at the moment, lest he break down and cry.

Not something he wanted Sakura, or any other human for that matter, to see.

Said rosette arched an eyebrow as they rounded a corner after they had walked for awhile in comfortable silence, crossing her arms and pausing in her stride to gaze at his back. "Come back here," she called when he continued to walk, oblivious to her abrupt stop. Spinning on his heel, he he cocked his head to the side slightly and paced back to her before stopping in front of her scrutinizing gaze, which was studying his face with much more intensity than the Uchiha thought necessary.

Then she sighed and closed her eyes, raising her hand to rub at her temple with her index and middle finger. "Sasuke-kun, we're all upset that we didn't find anything," she murmured, and her right arm tightened around her waist. Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, but the kunochi opened her eyes and took her hand away from her forehead to hold it up, effectively cutting him off as she continued.

"And I know you're hurting," she whispered. "I told you Sakura, I'm fine," Sasuke blurted out and glowered past her shoulder, refusing to make eye contact with his teammate. Sakura sighed again. "Sasuke-kun, do you remember when you used to drag Sai and I to Tsunade-sama and beg her to give us a mission out of the country, specifically to look for Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke nodded, a smirk rising to his lips as he remembered the vicious verbal arguments the two would get in, sending any human being that was within one hundred yards of the duo fleeing the scene before a physical eruption took place. "Yes," he said simply. "In fact, I plan on requesting another mission-" "Sasuke-kun," Sakura interrupted, again.

"This is how Naruto was acting! He would go looking for you feverishly, without end...and look what happened." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, instantly aiming invisible daggers at the rosette. "Are you saying I'm the reason he was kidnapped?" He asked dangerously. Sakura's face paled and her emerald eyes widened. "Of course not," she said soothingly, attempting to placate the bristling Uchiha.

"But Sasuke-kun, he got so obsessive that he began drawing on the _Kyuubi's chakra. _I don't want to see you get hurt...I don't want him hurting either Sasuke-kun. I'm not giving up, trust me," she paused, and a steely glint flashed in her bright eyes, then she continued. "I will _never _give up on Naruto. But your obsession is becoming dangerous Sasuke-kun. I told Naruto this, I love him. I love him so much it hurts! But I love you too, and I want to find him safe and alive...with you healthy as well."

Sasuke simply stared at the kunochi as well, his mind a blank puddle as he reeled from what she had said. "How is my want to find my...best friend...unhealthy?" He asked slowly, careful to keep the seething betrayal aimed at his teammate hidden from his tone. "Sasuke, when was the last time you got a good eight hours of sleep..." Sakura murmured and was back to studying his eyes.

"Never mind, don't answer. It's written all over your face," she muttered suddenly and reached out to trace the underparts of his eyelids gently with her index finger, causing him to flinch away. "Sasuke-kun...we all want Naruto back. The whole village does. But we're making sure we don't kill ourselves trying to find him," Sakura murmured and stepped back, a shadow crossing her face as she did so.

"He wouldn't want you to be hurting yourself like this." Then she turned, apparently ending the mostly one-sided conversation. "I have to go home. I'll see you tomorrow Sasuke-kun...have a good night's sleep." And then she vanished into the wavering crowds. Sasuke stood, rooted to his spot, gazing at where she had stood with her words echoing in his mind.

_"It's written all over your face..." _What was, the fact that he wanted to find the very person whom he had come back to Konoha for in the first place?! That he needed to find Naruto before he went insane from worrying about whether he was even alive?!

That he was doubting that he actually cared about his family's massacre...?

Oh, Sasuke had yet to forget about the traitorous things the village had done to his brother, and by extent, his family and clan. To himself. As he turned away to stalk towards the single floor house Tsunade had given to him, his mood instantly darkened as he thought of the old hags who had ruined his life, who had ruined Itachi's life, for the "sake of the village".

"Bullshit," he hissed to himself as he glanced around to make sure no-one was watching him, or even around him as he turned the corner into the small alley-like road that led to his home, the only one on this street, for various reasons ranging from Sasuke's own safety concerning people who deemed him too dangerous to allow into the village (like he cared, he could take them down in a heartbeat) to the solitary confinement the Shinobi Alliance had placed upon him. (which was officially over in two weeks. Again, not that he cared since he would have kept to himself regardless of the restrictions placed upon him)

But since _Hokage-sama _decided the raven was indeed trustable enough to be allowed out into public after three months spent in what was probably the most unguarded jail block Sasuke had ever seen, he had been given this traditional Chinese-style home, complete with it's own small stone water fountain and cobblestone path that led up to the porch and sliding front doors, large circular windows on either side and even a koi pond in the backyard, (there was a fucking backyard!) and Sasuke didn't dare complain.

If anything, as he stepped inside the home and slipped off his dusty shinobi sandals while he gazed around the empty hallways with various tatami sliding doors that led to rooms that were mostly empty except for furniture that had _already been there _when Sauske had arrived, he was grateful for the luxurious living space. His footsteps echoed on the hollow, waxed wooden floorboards as he made his way to the small kitchen on the other end of the hall, flipping on a single light switch to illuminate the stainless steel appliances (fucking expensive stuff too!) and heading to the small pantry, where a basket of tomatoes sat gleaming on a shelf.

Allowing a rare smile to cross his face, Sasuke retrieved one of the gleaming fruits, polishing it with a clean portion of his sleeve and bit into it, savoring the sweet yet tangy flavor. He turned and shut the pantry door, gazing around the small kitchen with its round wooden table and single chair of the same material, and a pang of loneliness hit him. But regardless, he pushed the feeling away and exited the room, flipping off a light as he did so and decided to check and see if Kya had come home yet, considering she had left his group earlier to presumably hunt.

Stepping towards the back door, Sasuke slid it aside to gaze out on his dim backyard, fenced off from the rest of the word and offering a sense of peace and solitude as his eyes settled on the pile of rocks set near a small weeping willow, and saw a pair of gleaming yellow eyes staring back at him. Smirking, Sasuke bit into his tomato again and heard Kya do a similar action to whatever prey she had caught that night. How she managed to carry her victims into Konoha without anyone noticing, hell, how she got _out_ of Konoha was beyond the raven as he sat down on the stairs that led to grass to gaze up at the sky, eyes closing.

A warm breeze ruffled his bangs as he ate another piece of the red fruit again, and despite how tired he felt he didn't want to go to bed quite yet. Kya growled contently and the Uchiha heard her crunching on a bone, the sound oddly satisfying to Sasuke despite the tranquil mood the entire setting gave off...and it didn't include a wolf chowing down on a dead animal. But Sasuke didn't complain, Kya was a wonderful companion and he would be damned he if he actually found a human who could understand him...oh fuck. That struck a chord.

Sasuke's breath hitched as a memory of sparring with Naruto flashed through his mind like a waterfall, crashing down on his head and erasing every other coherent thought as the actions began to play in his brain.

_"Oi, teme!" Naruto's annoyingly loud voice called out from across the road. Sasuke flinched from his cheerfulness, because who could be so freaking happy so early?, and turned to face the approaching menace. -Here we go,- he thought in boredom as the hyperactive blonde literally skipped in his direction and finally stopped in front of the slightly taller raven, a challenge rising in his eyes._

_"What do you want," said raven muttered, pretending to be uninterested, when in actuality he was glad Naruto had taken notice of him. Naruto offered him that stupid, lop-sided grin of his that somehow managed to not make him look like he was mentally challenged and rocked back onto his heels._

_"I have a deal to make with you!" The fox child exclaimed happily, moving forward to the soles of his feet and promptly knocking his forehead into Sasuke's chest, to which the Uchiha snorted indigently and pushed the immature ninja away. "Ever heard of personal space dobe?" He called softly when Naruto found his balance. "Shut it," the blonde growled in reply, but shot a sly look at Sasuke regardless._

_"Anyways, I offer that whoever makes it to the other side of Konoha last owes the winner one week of free ramen!" Sasuke arched an eyebrow, not moving from his leaning position against a telephone pole, deeming Naruto's "challenge" to be totally uninteresting. "I don't like ramen, usuratonkachi," Sasuke pointed out and smirked when Naruto's smile fell. "Besides, what's this all really about. I know it isn't about free ramen," the raven pressed on, and Naruto seemed to mumble to himself, eyes on the ground._

_Curious now, and not about to let the opportunity to piss Naruto off pass him by, Sasuke stood erect and lightly punched the smaller shinobi in the arm. "Oi. I asked you something, unless nothing gets inside that thick head of yours," Sasuke called and Naruto snorted. "Heh...never mind bastard." The blonde gave a two-fingered salute and turned around, vanishing quickly into the current of people in front of Sasuke._

_-That was weird, even for him,- the raven thought in confusion, shoving his hands in his pockets and ignoring the occasional squeals of young girls as they passed him by after several minutes of just closing his eyes and dozing off, some even gathering the courage to come and talk to him. Not that the Uchiha bothered to reply to them; he learned that by ignoring them, they left much sooner than if he actually told them to go away._

_But his mind wasn't on the annoying, high-pitched buzzing in his ears. No, it was on the odd expression that had crossed Naruto's face after Sasuke had questioned his true motive behind the competition. Now, Sasuke would have accepted it under normal circumstances, but it was just the way that Naruto had simply come up to him and offered something like that on the spot that had the Uchiha wondering if there was something behind that strange interaction he had had with Naruto._

_Turning his back on a girl with her hair in a stupid high bun (seriously, how could Sasuke possibly find that attractive when her hair looked like a five year old had piled it on her skull and stapled it in place) the Uchiha decided he would go and track down Naruto to discover what had gone down earlier. And it certainly wasn't because Sasuke was concerned that something was wrong with Naruto, no way! Nothing like that could ever occur to Sasuke, never!_

_So why did he still feel like something was wrong with Naruto?_

_Shrugging the thought off, Sasuke trudged towards the apartment complex Naruto lived in, having the misfortune to actually know where it was when Kakashi had him go drag the blonde's lazy, over-sleeping ass to the training grounds at freaking five thirty in the morning, in the rain. -Fucking Jounin,- Sasuke thought to himself as he remembered the five day cold all of Team 7 had after that. Minus Kakashi of course, because he actually brought an umbrella and dry clothes for himself. Selfish bastard._

_Sasuke's train of thought continued down that similar path of all the times Kakashi had screwed over Team 7's health as he eventually made his way into the more rundown part of the village, eyes scanning for a sign of that ridiculous orange jacket or blonde flashing among the throng of people, again ignoring the cries of "Sasuke-kun!" and "Uchiha-san!" Seriously, Naruto would hear Sasuke coming from a mile away merely from people shouting to the world that yes, indeed, Uchiha Sasuke was in the fucking streets like a normal civilian! Hard to believe, I know!_

_The voices got increasingly irritating as Sasuke continued his even pace to the towering pile of metal that only seemed to be supported by sheets of steel that coated the base of the building, and if even one fell off the entire complex would topple to the ground. -Why in the world would he choose to live in a place like this,- Sasuke thought to himself as he pushed open the heavy wooden door that separated the inside of the apartment building from the outside world, ascending the ever tiring staircase that was riddled with the occasional cat basking in absolutely no sunlight or child playing with a toy kunai or doll._

_Sighing (in reality breathing heavily from the long climb), Sasuke stood at the very top of the apartment complex, and he could've sworn he felt the building sway with the wind at this height. "Dear Kami..." He grumbled to himself and slowly inched his way forward to the lone door at the end of the hall, still trying to catch his breath as he paused in front of the warm wood._

_Raising his fist, and questioning for the first time since he had embarked on this endeavor on "why the fuck was Uchiha Sasuke visiting Uzumaki Naruto for no reason", Sasuke pounded lightly on the door. Silence met him for a few seconds, and then a muffled "Coming!" replied. The door swung inward, to reveal Naruto staring at Sasuke in surprise._

_"What are you doing here?" The blonde asked in surprise. "What, no 'Nice to see you Sasuke'? I'm hurt," Sasuke mocked and leaned back on one leg while crossing his arms, smirking. Naruto snorted and turned away, disappearing from the doorway. Sasuke, taking that as his opportunity to walk inside well, stepped further into the threshold and shut the door behind himself to find Naruto sitting on the floor with a weird plant on his lap. Arching an eyebrow, but not commenting, Sasuke went to stand in front of the blonde who was currently tenderly fingering a bright green leaf while pouring a cup of tap water into the dirt surrounding the plant._

_"So why're you here," Naruto asked absently as he continued to tend to his potted friend, and Sasuke questioned silently at the weird hobby. Well, weird for Naruto, considering he couldn't even take care of himself half the time, much less a plant..._

_"I wanted to talk about what that was earlier," he said bluntly and crossed his arm, fixing his infamous "stay where you are or I will cut you" glare, reserved especially for Naruto nowadays, on said blonde. Who was completely impervious to the action at the moment, mind you. Naruto simply grunted deep in his throat and continued to stare at his fern with seemingly forced interest._

_Again, Sasuke noted, this was really freaking weird._

_"Oi," he said in annoyance and prodded Naruto's knee with his sandaled foot. "I came here to talk, not to watch you play house with a weed." Naruto glowered up at the raven (Finally have his attention, said raven thought smugly) and stood, placing the pot on a nearby table along with the chipped glass cup he had been holding before turning to face Sasuke, face unusually serious._

_"As I was saying...what was with the really random challenge?" Sasuke asked, again, determined to get an answer out of Naruto. The blonde was keeping his face strangely impassive as he met Sasuke's gaze evenly, sky blue eyes unflinching as he seemed to be searching for an answer; literally, Sasuke imagined he could see the cogs grinding and the smoke billowing from loose pipes in his skull._

_"You want an answer?" Naruto asked then. "No, I want to go on vacation to Suna." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes I want an answer." Naruto sighed and then laughed lightly, eyes lighting up. "Fine. Truth is teme, you looked lonely," Naruto said honestly. Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "Lonely?" He repeated after a few seconds, the word echoing in his mind._

_"Yeah, lonely." Naruto shrugged. "I was walking around and I saw you over by a wall by yourself with a sad expression, kinda funny by the way, and I pitied your sorry ass. So I felt like making things a bit more fun for you." Sasuke stared at his blonde friend, honestly shocked by the admission. He had...been lonely, in all actuality, he realized as he looked back on the moments before the shinobi's intrusion. _

_Naruto grinned at whatever he saw on Sasuke's face. "I was right!" He crowed, jumping in place while raising a fist in the air. Sasuke sighed, and yet was still in slight bewilderment at the fact that Naruto had noticed that he was lonely when no-one else wanted nothing to do with him at the time._

_-He cared...-_

Sasuke bit his lip as he fought to lock away the memory in his mind. It was fucking difficult, to say the least; a lot harder than it had been when he had left Konoha and actually wanted to push everything to do with the place out of his head. But now he didn't want to forget a single moment he had spent with Naruto until he knew the blonde was safe, and back in Konoha, where he belonged.

_"And I know you're hurting..." _Sasuke frowned as he remembered Sakura's statement from earlier, his tomato laying forgotten in his palm and small tracks of tears running down his cheeks. Is it possible that she could read him like Naruto did? Was she that close to Sasuke...?

No, he decided and stood while nodding in Kya's direction, indicating he was turning in for the night. A low growl responded, which in Kya-speech translated to "Don't trip over your own feet" (which Sasuke had embarrassingly done after an exceedingly tiring mission) and he stepped back inside the wooden home, gently shutting the door behind himself and again walking down the empty yet warm hallway to the third door on the left, sliding open the barrier to reveal his bedroom.

The walls were a warm teak color, with white paneling and sandy-yellow wooden planks on the floor. Sasuke had placed a brown rug on the floor at the foot of his queen-sized bed, which held a black comforter with blue sheets and pillow casings. Heading over to his double-doored closet, Sasuke swung the doors open (the only ones that actually moved in or out according to legit hinges) and picked out a pair of black shorts and a t-shirt of the same color to sleep in.

After he was finished changing, he folded his dirty clothes (he had a habit of cleaning up even his dirty clothes hamper when he was bored) and stared at the Uzumaki Whirlpool symbol that was embroidered on the back of his shinobi-issued shirt for when he was on duty, assigned to every official Jounin, after all. He felt a tinge of annoyance yet again at Tsunade for not allowing him to bear the Uchiha crest while he was on missions or guard duty, but he assumed that in the end it was for the best and decided to put the issue at rest, for now.

Once his dirty clothes were "properly" placed into the assigned container, Sasuke didn't even bother turning in the comfortably compact bedroom and simply flopped onto his back upon the soft mattress of his bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, tracing the grains and swirls in the planks above his head with his eyes. Weariness tugged at his eyelids, but for some reason he just couldn't sleep.

Turning so he was actually laying properly on the bed, Sasuke flung his arm over his eyes in an attempt to sleep, but to no avail. Then there was a soft bark outside his window, and he turned his head to see Kya standing outside with her head resting on the open windowsill, tongue hanging loosely from her jaws and giving her a goofy expression despite her fierce nature.

Sasuke smiled softly. "Yeah, I'm going to sleep," he murmured and Kya seemed to nod, satisified with the answer. But inside Sasuke rolled his eyes, amused by the fact that a _wolf_ was acting like she was his mother. He let out a snort once said wolf returned back to standing on four paws and paced away, her grey fur that shone silver in the moon's light vanishing from view and Sasuke felt calmness sweep over him.

He closed his eyes, and as he drifted to sleep he imagined what life would be like with Naruto back in Konoha, and he realized that he wouldn't ever be so lonely.

* * *

Alright so for now I'ma just say to hell with the schedule because I am having way too much fun writing this :) who knew writing a fanfiction about a broody emo kid with duck ass hair and a hyperactive little goof ball falling in love would be so addicting?! Pssh, I didn't...


	10. Dark Side

Dark Side

**Hinata**

Contrary to popular belief, Hyuuga Hinata was _not _innocent. She was shy, yes. She was quiet, yes. But she was observant as well. It was like a game of I Spy to her, whenever she watched from the edge of a group and simply listened.

Hyuuga Hinata was cunning. Not evil mastermind cunning as Kiba would describe the word, but she was secretive and when she had her mind set on something, she would go after it wholeheartedly...from the shadows, of course.

And that is exactly where she found herself at this current moment of time; cowering in the shadow of a tree as she watched her cousin and his teammate Lee spar under the grey cloudy sky.

Her eyes traced Neji's movements with a hunter's intent; she was determined to memorize every step he took and make an attempt to imitate it later that night, when all of her clansmen were asleep and she could slip out to the shared training grounds of the secondary branch and main branch (granted, the "shared" part was rather implied; in reality, the main branch allowed secondary branch members occasional access and the rest of the time, well...it wasn't pretty)

She winced unconsciously as Lee received a nasty roundhouse kick to his abdomen and was sent cartwheeling in the air to collide with a training post on the other side of the clearing. Neji smirked and vanished, reappearing in front of the green-clad shinobi while he pressed his foot against the boy's chest.

"I have defeated you," the Hyuuga heiress heard her cousin announce quietly, and she smiled despite the pain Lee must have been feeling. "Gah, I never admit defeat Neji!" Lee shouted and sprung up from under Neji's restraining appendage, throwing a thumbs up in the air and punching Neji lightly in the shoulder.

The brunette turned, a soft smile on his lips as he nodded, apparently not wanting to continue the argument as his amused eyes landed on Hinata. "Hinata-sama!" He exclaimed in surprise and seemed to hold himself back from bowing. "Why, if it isn't the lovely Lady Hinata!" Lee shouted and ran up, not a care in the world for personal space, and embraced Hinata.

Despite the fact that she had no feelings for the boy beyond friendship, Hinata blushed at the contact and saw Neji stalking over with his shoulders hunched, an angry look in his lavender eyes. "Um...it's n-nice to see you t-too, Lee-kun," Hinata managed to gasp out when Lee tightened his grip on Hinata's shoulders while Neji tugged furiously on the taijutsu user's waist.

"Lee, _get off of her,_" Neji ground out and managed to pry Lee's seemingly iron hands away from Hinata's back and the boy stumbled away to land on the dirt. "Ah, no, I-I'm sorry," Hinata stuttered out as Lee stood, shooting a look at Neji that practically screamed _you're such a puppy-kicker! _and brushed dirt from his knees, a bright grin quickly taking over his face.

"Well Neji, I must thank you for the lovely spar," the raven said cheerfully and stood erect, arms swinging by his side as he stood and sweat dripping into his...well..._enormous _eyebrows. "Now I must go and begin my fifty laps around Konoha!" And with that, a plume of dust occupied the space Lee had been in seconds prior. Hinata shot a questioning look at her cousin, and he simply nodded in return.

"He runs fifty laps whenever he loses," the brunette explained. "Either that, or does five hundred one-handed push ups." "A-ah, okay..." Hinata murmured, glancing up momentarily at the dull clouds hovering over their heads. "So..Hinata-sama. Not that your presence here upsets me, but why didn't you announce that you were here earlier?" Neji asked, and then gestured in front of himself as he walked forward, apparently inviting the heiress to join him.

Stepping to meet his stride, Hinata glanced down at her feet and clasped her hands over her stomach. "I was just...curious," she said softly. "About?" Neji inquired as they crossed over a small bridge to enter the village fully, bustling with mid-afternoon citizens running amuck in the streets. "Um...the technique you used during y-your fight," Hinata explained. _Damn stutter! _She thought angrily. Yep, Hyuuga Hinata could definitely curse.

But it just didn't fit her image, so she didn't bother to prove it.

"I've never seen anything like it..." She murmured and looked ahead, eyes locked on a point ahead of her as they wandered aimlessly on the streets of Konoha. "Ah, that," Neji murmured and crossed his arms, his ponytail swinging lightly behind his back as he did so. "Well, I could teach you it tonight if you'd like," he offered. Hinata blushed again, and she mentally beat herself down for it.

"Ah, umm..." She stammered and felt her mind begin to slow its thinking process. _Get it together, _she hissed in her head. "S-sure, that would b-be nice, Neji-kun.." Her cousin offered her a sympathetic smile, turning his head to face her as he did so. Hinata hated it. She hated being seen as so weak and, well, _cute! _In all honesty, she wanted to be...sexy like Sakura, Ino, even TenTen! It wasn't fair that she was the "cute innocent child who barely speaks above a whisper"!

Her inner turmoil went unnoticed as she gave Neji a gentle laugh in return, wanting to seem polite in her response. "Very well," he continued and they passed up two of the three women Hinata had been admiring (and flinging kunai at) in her mind. "Ah, hello Neji! Hinata!" Sakura called and waved, her right arm occupied with a brown paper bag, and Ino nodded towards the pair, her own grasp containing bouquets of flowers and candy boxes.

"Hello Sakura-kun...Ino-kun," Hinata greeted, and Neji simply said "Greetings" in return. "Where're you two off to?" Ino asked from around her armload, and Hinata cursed the teen's sense of fashion. Seriously, compared to Ino, Hinata had less romantic and sexual appeal than a lumpy rock! It was humilating.

But again, she kept her rage and jealously locked up inside, keeping up her appearances and smiling gently to herself, letting Neji do the talking as usual. "Just wandering," the brunette replied calmly and gestured towards the objects the two kunochi were holding. "What're those?" He asked, and Ino smiled.

"These are for Kiba," she replied, and Sakura nodded. "Apparently, when he was released from the hospital he met a nurse he really liked," the rosette said, and then her face darkened. "But when he went to one of the training grounds, he swore up and down that he smelled something disgusting and that there was something in the woods. And when he went in there..."

"He found the girl in pieces," Ino whispered. Neji's eyebrows rose drastically and Hinata covered her mouth with her hand, disgust shooting through her stomach and her heart like an arrow. "Seriously?" Neji muttered, and Sakura nodded again. "Hai...he's really depressed over it," she said sadly, and moved the arm that was holding the paper bag slightly. "Care to join us? The more the merrier," Ino offered, and Neji turned to Hinata.

"Would you like to Hinata-sama?" He asked. Hinata nodded instantly. "Poor Kiba-kun," she whispered and felt so, well, _guilty _for not knowing about this earlier...he was her teammate, for Kami's sake..."Want to bring him anything Hinata?" Sakura asked, and Hinata started to stammer, again. Seriously, why couldn't she just talk normally around her friends, at least?!

"A-ah, I don't h-h-have anyt-thing on m-me..." She managed to say without fainting from the effort. Her inner self was gritting her teeth at the utter embarassment of the situation. Sakura offered her a kind smile and reached into the bag, holding out a small plush white dog in her palm. "Here," she said happily, and Hinata gently wrapped her fingers around the object.

"Sakura-kun...didn't y-you...buy t-this?" Hinata asked when the rosette took her hand away and shrugged. "It's fine," she replied. "I bought it for Kiba, so you can just give it him!" Hinata stared at the object for a moment, then smiled. "Thank you," she said gratefully, and she turned to walk with the two kunochi and letting Neji lead the way to the hospital, the two women talking while Hinata occasionally managed to get a small comment into the conversation.

As they walked, Hinata felt irriatation surge within her at the sight of her friends. Why was she so proper, so polite, while these two were so...so...not. Not what she was, anyway. Sakura was busy chatting away about something that did not pike Hinata's interest, her words tumbling like the soft bubbling of falling water on Hinata's ears while she gazed at Neji's back, her hands again folded across her stomach.

"Hey, Hinata," Ino asked, and the raventte glanced over, a slightly shocked expression on her face. "Y-yes?" She replied. "Have you noticed anything...different about Kiba when you're around him?" The blonde asked. Confusion surged through Hinata, and she glanced at the ground, thinking. "Um...no, I c-can't say I ha-have," she murmured. "Why d-do you ask?" Ino giggled. "Just wondering," she replied and flicked her ponytail over her shoulder.

Hinata genuinely didn't know what Ino was talking about as they made their way in realitive silence to the hospital. Kiba acted like his normal, goofy self...what difference did Ino notice that Hinata hadn't seen? And Hinata noticed _everything._.."Hinata-sama! Watch out!" The ravenette barely heard her cousin's voice before she found herself greeting the front doors of the hospital with her face.

"Hinata!" Sakura and Ino cried out as the heiress found herself toppling to the ground, her arms flailing and her hands trying desperately to grasp at some unknown object in front of her, and she shut her eyes to brace for the impact of the hard concrete ground against her back and head.

But it never came.

Instead, she found an arm wrapped around her waist and a chin resting on her shoulder, and her pale, pupiless eyes widened at the unknown contact. She tried turning her head to see who her savior was, but the person who was slowly steadying her still descending form wouldn't allow that to happen until her head gently brushed the now softer and..grassier ground?

"Um..." She mumbled out as the arm and chin disappeared from her body and she swiveled her head around, trying to see who it was who had saved her. As her eyes turned to the right, she saw Kiba grinning back at her with his right arm held in a sling. "Didn't know you could be so clumsy," he said, and barked out a laugh while his eyes closed.

Hinata simply blinked back at him. How could he have been so close to her? She hadn't noticed, well, anything...but that wasn't the point! Kiba frowned when he noticed she wasn't smiling. "Uh...did you want me to let you crack your head open on the pavement?" He asked awkwardly and stepped forward to crouch by her side, eyes worried. "N-no.." She said quietly, and she heard footsteps approaching from behind the pair. "Hinata-sama!" Neji called, his voice frantic with worry, and soon the voices of Sakura and Ino joined in.

Kiba rose and held up his free hand in a restraining gesture. "She's still a little out of it guys," he explained and glanced down at her. "I was out for a walk right now but...I could take Hinata back to the hospital if you want." Silence met his offer for a few moments, and Hinata realized her head hurt too much to move it around, so she simply imagined Neji glaring at the ground in his special way of thinking.

"...Thank you for offering," her cousin then said, but didn't continue. "Alright No-Eyes, up you go," Kiba announced then and bent down to pick her up with one arm, managing to cradle her with his other, injured arm and her hair draping over his hand. She looked up at him and studied the tattoos on his cheeks with wide, innocent eyes. She smiled then, and Kiba beamed back at her with the intesnity of the sun.

Which reminded the ravenette of a certain blonde whom she was deeply in love with. Or, maybe _had been_ deeply in love with...

_I spy...someone I can move on to._

* * *

**Kakashi**

Why couldn't Kakashi just get one day off? Just. One. Day. All he wanted was to finish Chapter Thirteen of his book! The main character was about to the get the love of his life to agree to meet him and- "Kakashi," Tsunade barked, and brought the Jounin out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," he replied lazily while he lowered his eyes from the ceiling to glance at the angry looking Hokage, who was currently standing with her hands pressed against the wood of her desk and a glare frozen in her hazel eyes.

"Did you hear any of that?" She asked, exasperated, as she looked over to the wolf's companion...who was currently fiddling with the ridiculous green jumpsuit around him chest. "Nope," he replied and shoved his hands in his pants pockets. _Can we please hurry this up..._

Tsunade sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but Guy interrupted her before she had the chance. "Kakashi, our youth is too short to be spent daydreaming," the raven lectured, and now it was Kakashi's turn to release a pent up breath, boredom licking at the edges of his concentration.

"We must live in the moment! As our fountains of-" "Yes, yes," Tsunade edged in, her voice carrying a hint of violence and a threat of "I will choke the next person to get in my way" as she shifted her weight behind her table. "Kakashi, what I _was_ saying is I need you and Guy to go and investigate around the Northern Wall. There have been reports of high concentrations of unmasked chakra that is not only dangerous to civilians and Genin...but even ANBU level shinobi.

"The reports all say the same thing however: this chakra is _not_ friendly." Tsunade lowered herself into her chair and propped her chin up on her hand, which was supported by her elbow and held up a piece of paper with Yamato's handwriting on it.

"Apparently, according to Yamato, the chakra is seeping into the trees and other plant life and is wasting away at them. It will start affecting the crop input if it reaches the farming land. I want you and Guy to go and investigate. If you discover something, engage it and capture it _alive_. I want answers to this, before the solution."

Kakashi nodded, but inside his mind he was throwing a temper tantrum about not being able to continue his novel, and sleep. Guy, on the other hand, just seemed happy to be actually _doing_ something, and considering the man hadn't been out of the village for over a month due to the flu, Kakashi didn't blame him.

That didn't mean he wasn't opposed to strangling the man if he got on the wolf's nerves however.

"Get going then," Tsunade barked, and the two Jounin turned to swiftly exit the office before she started flipping tables and bookshelves.

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

_Just a few more hours..._Kakashi thought as he leaned against the trunk of a tree, glancing around for any sign of Guy or whatever was giving off this incredibly potent and evil chakra. Finding nothing, he slowly reached into his vest pocket while glancing around, making sure he was alone as he drew out the familiar orange of his Come Come Paradise novel, grinning under his mask as he flipped the pages to Chapter Thirteen and began to read.

_...As I approached the determined site of our union, my heart began to thump in my chest as I imagined her, her beautiful eyes and her chest, oh her chest, her hair, smelling of peaches and sunshine-_

"Kakashi!" someone roared from behind the wolf, and he nearly dropped his book while screaming at the sudden presence. But instead, he snapped his book shut and spun on his heel to fix a cold gaze at none other than the man he was waiting for, green jumpsuit standing out like a sore thumb against the bold black of night. "Do you have to wear that thing while we're on a mission," Kakashi sighed out and regretfully put his book away. _Later,_ he promised himself.

"Why of course Kakashi! How else am I supposed to train to defeat you in combat?" "By dressing like a normal shinobi?" "Bah! Those heavy outfits do nothing but weigh you down and make you more susceptible to loss! However, I, Might Guy, can not lose-!" Kakashi shoved his hand against the now shouting man's face.

"Shhh," he whispered. "Whmm dmm yuh her?" Guy muttered. Translation: What do you hear? Kakashi turned his head so his right ear was facing behind him. Sure enough, another rustle in the bushes signaled the two were not alone. "If you can keep your mouth shut for long enough to see what's down there, I'll let you go," Kakashi murmured.

Guy scowled and nodded once, the playfulness in his eyes gone and replaced with a serious intent. Lowering his arm, Kakashi lifted the hitai-ate that covered his left eye to reveal Obito's Sharnigan, and quickly discovered a humanoid form crouching in the underbrush, chakra swirling dangerously around it. The chakra signature of whoever it was had been hidden well, he noted as well while he studied its hunched form, but he couldn't make out any noticeable features.

Gesturing with his left hand, the white-haired Jounin motioned for Guy to surround the person as he leapt down and, with chakra-muffled steps, stalked forward to stand behind the creature. Guy, however, decided to take a much louder approach. With a shout of "Here comes the great Might Guy!" and an extravagant mid-air flip, he landed in the same bush as the human.

Slapping his palm against his forehead, Kakashi peered between his fingers to see the figure stiffen at Guy's presence, but not lunge or flee as he had expected. In fact, it's image seemed to waver like the flame of a candle before solidifying again. _A Kage Bunshin_, he realized suddenly. Kage Bunshin, while indeed a clone of the original caster, were not completely solid and as such, their physical images flicker slightly, but not enough for the normal human eye to see. The Sharnigan, however, can pick up on the movement if quick enough.

Kakashi suddenly dove forward and joined Guy in the thicket of leaves and twigs, sliding around the foliage to reach a small cove in the bush and coming nose-to-nose with said taijutsu user. "You baka," Kakashi hissed from beneath his mask. "The point was to NOT let that guy know we're here." "Now now Kakashi, I have him right where I want him." "That's not even the real person! It's a Kage Bunshin."

Guy's humungous eyebrows raised slightly. "Then where's the real one?" He asked quietly. Kakashi shut his eyes. "I dunno," he muttered. "I guess we could try and get the Kage Bunshin without making it disappear and find the original." "Good plan," Guy said sarcastically, then glanced to his left, where the figure still crouched, hidden among the foliage.

"Circle around?" He suggested. Kakashi nodded and crawled backwards before shifting to the right, positioning himself directly behind the figure, but to the right ever so slightly. With the Sharnigan he could see Guy almost imitate his movements, but went to his right instead of left.

With a cry of "_NOW_!", Kakashi slithered forward quickly and Guy did the same, extending his left arm while Kakashi followed, both men aiming to catch the person between their hands. The Kage Bunshin was a mere shadow as it leaped up. "Up!" Kakashi commanded and hurled himself to the sky, moonlight shattering onto his face as he broke the tree line with the figure.

_Damn it,_ he cursed. _Can't use any blades or it will vanish_. Guy sprung up with a yell behind the figure, which apparently twisted and avoided the taijutsu user's grasp while falling back into the trees. Kakashi landed on a branch and gave chase immediately, leaping from branch to branch as he tracked the person through the forest and, he noticed, away from Konoha.

The chakra signatures it left behind from sticking to the wood were slightly familiar; distorted mainly from the muffle the Kage Bunshin used to hide its chakra in the first place and more even unfamiliar elements were a part of the strange signature. The Jounin growled and leaped to ground as the shadow did and quickly punched the earth.

"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu!" A gaping hole erupted before him and he leapt in, before quickly digging upward and finally grasping a pair of sandal-clad feet and tugged harshly, pulling the figure down. Once their legs were firmly in place Kakashi dug another hole upward and erupted next to the figure as Guy jumped down from the trees.

"You're lucky I kept him from going back up," the raven pointed out and winked at Kakashi. The wolf rolled his eye(s) and gazed down at the recently caught Kage Bunshin. He stumbled back quickly and inhaled sharply. "What is it-?!" Guy recoiled as he saw who Kakashi had captured.

Blonde hair dirtied with time framed tan whiskered cheeks while slitted blood red eyes leered up at their captors. Fangs protruded from a thinly clenched mouth. "...Na.." Kakashi stuttered as the Kage Bunshin struggled slightly. "Naruto," Guy whispered. Naruto growled in response. "Kakashi. Guy," he spat out. "Let me go." "You're a Kage Bunshin, I just have to throw a shruiken at you and you'll be gone," Kakashi pointed out lowly.

"Whatever. Kakashi, I can't stay here-" "Where's the real you," Guy blurted out and managed to lean forward. "Don't know. Not even he really knows. Please Kakashi, if you know what's good for Konoha you'll either destroy me or capture the real me!" Naruto cried out and growled as he again attempted to dig out.

"Not before you tell me where the hell you've been for the past three years," Kakashi asked and leaned forward. The Kage Bunshin looked away. "That will take time we don't have Kakashi. Listen, the Kyuubi is doing something-" "The missing-nin didn't take the Kyuubi out of you?" Guy interrupted again. "No!" Naruto cried out in frustration. "No missing-nin captured me! Listen, dammit! The Kyuubi, he's taking over my real body. You HAVE to get me to Tsunade, quick! It's bad."

_He left voluntarily, _Kakashi realized suddenly. "Naruto, why did you leave three years ago?" He asked, quietly breaking on the inside from seeing his former student, even if he was a clone, in such agony.

"To save the rest of Konoha from what I had become," Naruto muttered and looked down. Then he glanced up again. "But it's gotten worse. Please! Find me, I think I'm near the eastern wall, there are two birch trees with twining roots. I'm in the left tree and I can't move; I bound myself there for the night. Please, you don't have much time."

Then the Kage Bunshin hissed in pain and narrowed his crimson eyes before vanishing in a poof of air. Kakashi looked to Guy, eyes wide with unmasked surprise. "We have to get him," the wolf whispered. "...Imagine how pissed Hokage-sama will be when she learns Naruto-kun left on his own." Guy murmured.

Kakashi looked up at the starlit sky, and he felt a tingle of fear run through his heart. "We have worse than her to worry about."

* * *

Soooo...? How'd you like it?

It took me for-flipping-ever to write Hinata's POV. I couldn't figure out if I wanted her to be that innocent little flower she appears to be or what xD we all know that since she stalks Naruto on a daily basis she isn't so sweet...ugh.

Anyways, next week starts S/W and I must say, I'm pretty excited for what you and I have yet to see from our lovely little couple. Aka Sasuke and Naruto, for those of you who didn't get the memo and are SasuSaku shippers or NaruHina or whatever. Ew, by the way. Lol, so not just there, but here in C/E as well. And considering I'm going to be writing my first lemon in this story (fangirl/boy squeal anyone?) my body is pretty damn ready for this.

Needless to say, this story is going to be getting a little hectic soon. I'm thinking that now once we've reached the "OMG NARUTO IS BACK SOMEWHAT MAYBE A LITTLE" stage I'll keep the POVs restricted mainly to Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi, but I still need to work some stuff out there.

Anyways, I thank you for joining me in this fireside read (I highly doubt you're reading this by a fire legitimately but...yeah) and I implore you to join me next time. And review, because lately I've gotten nothing from a single one of you and it's made me die a little inside...

So I never know how to end these Author Notes...uh, yeah. Bye, stay lovely.


	11. Race against Time

Race against Time

**Tsunade**

_Tick. Tick. _

The only sounds in the Hokage's office were the methodical beats of the wooden clock on Tsunade's desk, and her pen scratching on parchment as she signed useless documents that in the long run had no meaning to the benefit of the village.

But it was to appease the Council, and Tsunade would dress like a monkey and preform backflips on a bed of spikes to make them shut up.

_Tick. Tick._

The blonde's eyebrow twitched as she read the disappointing report of a D-rank mission to, simply put, help a farmer gather crops. How hard could that be?! "Bah, Genin teams get worse every year..." Tsunade muttered and stamped the file with Konoha's seal and placing it on the ever growing pile by her feet, set simply for only D-rank missions.

Perhaps the training requirements had to go up in order to reach the quota Konoha needed to thrive as not just a major shinobi power, but a village as a whole.

_Tick. Tick._

Tsunade growled under her breath as the damn ticking of the clock got on her nerves, and she fixed a glare on the offending object as if her eyes could stop the movement of time so she could actually _get some work done_. But the clock just kept marching on, oblivious to her attempts.

She paused in her signing of a charter for a new restaurant on the east side of town and her hand twitched towards the clock, irritation causing her mouth to twist into a grimace. Eventually, after she had a very long stare-down with the object, her hand flashed out to strike like a snake at the object, grasping at it and flinging it with a flick of her wrist towards the door, where it shattered and the wood stuck into the doorframe while the metal clanged to the ground.

Pleased with the silence, Tsunade leaned back and smiled. Then she noticed the wall mounted clock hanging above the same door she had assaulted. With a groan of despair, she folded her arms over her desk and placed her head between them, shutting her eyes.

_Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick._

_God dammit, _Tsunade cursed in her head and raised her eyes to gaze at the clock with tired eyes, her eyelids drooping at an alarming rate. Forcing them to stay open, she reached under her desk for the hidden cabinet she had installed earlier to keep her stash of sake safe from Shizune's prying eyes. _Damn girl_, the blonde thought in annoyance as her hand brushed against empty air, proving that the young assitant had indeed removed the alcohol while Tsunade was asleep.

Perhaps if she could sneak out long enough to get to the market and buy a few more packs, no-one would notice...

_BAM! _

The door swung open with the force of stampeding bulls, and an enraged Uchiha Sasuke stalked inside while the glare in his eyes promised a very long and painful death to anyone he looked at. And right now, Tsunade could almost hear the insults and threats the Uchiha was flinging at her in his mind. And she was _not_ in the mood for it.

"Someone seems unhappy," the blonde noted sarcastically as the raven slammed his palm on her desk, an unfortunate piece of paper caught between his hand and the wood, and iT crinkled under the force he was exerting on the innocent object. Not that Tsunade could argue; after all, she flung a clock at a wall.

"What gave it away," Sasuke replied, a little _too_ smoothly for the amount of anger that was currently twisting his face to make him look like a demented demon, and Tsunade knew she was in deep shit. Damn, did she wish she could have downed a few glasses of sake before this, because Kami knew that she would need it for the following argument.

"So Uchiha, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Tsunade sighed out and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arm over her chest and fixing a stare of her own on the now shaking raven. "You aren't aware that for the past five months I have revieved nothing but D-rank missions?" Sasuke asked quietly. Tsunade fought the urge to roll her eyes. _Just like Naruto described. Over-reactive and over-dramatic. Although, I guess I should know that by now..._"And this is an issue because?" She asked and arched an eyebrow, enjoying the twitching eyelid the raven now sported.

"I can't pay my rent with this kind of work," Sasuke grit out, punctuating each word, and his fingers crumpled the poor paper under his hand even more. "I'm sure that document did nothing to you," Tsunade pointed out and nodded towards to object in question. Sasuke breathed heavily through his nose and closed his eyes for a moment, and again Tsunade heard the string of colorful curses the Uchiha was flinging her way, and the invisible daggers aimed inbetween her eyes.

"Tsunade-sama, I need-" "Now let me stop you there Sasuke," Tsunade interrupted. "We've grown quite close over the years, I'd like to think. And I would also be inclined to feel that we have the right to address each other as 'Tsunade' and 'Sasuke', 'Uchiha' on occasion when I feel like pissing you off or I'm drunk. No need for honorifics." Sasuke glowered at the interruption, but nodded regardless. "Fine. _Tsunade_, I need higher ranked missions if I'm to afford the heating, plumbing, and electricity for the home you so _lovingly_ gave me."

If Tsunade had known what this was about earlier, she would have simply punched the Uchiha out her door as soon as he stomped inside.

_Tick. Tick._

And to make things worse, she could hear that fucking clock again!

The blonde sighed. "Sasuke, I can pay for that," she offered. Sasuke's jaw clenched. "I don't want you to waste your money," he growled. "I would not be wasting my money on a house I bought." "But I live in it, so I'm responsible for it-" "I can't believe you actually _want_ to pay rent!" Tsunade exclaimed. "I don't like depending on people," Sasuke muttered. "Naruto would jump on the opportunity to not have to pay. At least _he_ wouldn't take my generosity for granted."

Dead silence filled the room as Tsunade's statement sunk in. _Tick. Tick. _Sasuke's eyes almost audibly narrowed, the clicking obvious as his obsidian glare was reduced to meer slits. "I'm not him," the raven said flatly. "I know. I'm sorry, that was out of line-" "And I'm sure that if he was here he would be offended that you would compare him to me." Sasuke offered a very small smile, nearly undetectable, and Tsunade smirked and closed her eyes in return. "Stupid Uchiha..." She grumbled and noticed she had stood up in their argument, turning to sink back into her chair. She sighed and rubbed at her temple, then glanced at the paper Sasuke had left on her desk.

"Fine. Starting in three days, you'll be assigned B-rank missions and up. And for now, I will pay your rent in return. Sound fair?" She asked. Sasuke stood still for a few moments, apparently pondering the options, then slowly nodded. Tsunade released a sigh of relief and nodded in return. "Anything else then?" She asked. "No." was the simple reply. "Then get out," Tsunade said semi-teasingly, waving her hand to gesture the raven's leaving. He snorted and turned, heading for the doorway, his head bent.

_Tick. Tick. _

As he placed his hand on the brass doorknob, Sasuke leapt back as the door swung open on its own and in burst Kakashi and Guy, both breathing heavily and Kakashi covered head to toe in dirt. "Tsu-Tsunade-sama," Guy gasped out and bent to place his hands on his knees, heaving in great bouts of air and Kakashi placed his hand on the wall, leaning his head against his arm and shutting his eyes. Tsunade and Sasuke exchanged a quick, confused glance, and then she returned her attention to the two men before her.

"I assume you found something...?" She asked slowly. Kakashi nodded. "We...we found..." Guy breathed out, still out of air and wheezing. "We found...Naruto," Kakashi whispered. Tsunade bolted upright in her chair, weariness forgotten, and Sasuke was in front of Kakashi in a blur. "A kage bunshin of Naruto," Guy corrected, and Tsunade snorted despite herself. "Leave it to him to do something so idiotic," she muttered to herself. "Where is he now?"

Sasuke meanwhile was busy staring Kakashi down like a wild lion would piece of meat just out of his reach. The Jounin glanced at the Uchiha warily, standing erect and his hitai-ate pulled up fully to reveal his sharnigan eye. "He thinks he is in two birch trees near the East Wall," the Jounin said lowly. Tsunade breathed in slowly, shutting her eyes. "And you two didn't go get him because...?" "We...had to report to you," Guy breathed out again.

Sasuke turned to face Tsunade, and the pleading look in his eyes was almost hilarious. Tsunade had to restrain herself from laughing at the look on her face, and she fought to keep a straight face as she said "Fine. Make sure he's in one piece when you bring him back here." Sasuke nodded, but his coal black eyes held all the joy and happiness he somehow could not express through words as he tore out of the doorway, pulling on a black cloak as he did so that he left outside and letting the cloth flick around the wall.

The blonde Hokage leaned back and sighed contently, glancing at the clock, and she knew it was only a matter of time until she had Naruto, her grandson, back.

_Tick. Tick._

Time couldn't go fast enough.

* * *

**Sasuke**

_Yes! Yes! _Sasuke had to keep his feet continuously pumping on the hard dirt path he was running on, or else he would be skipping and laughing down the road in his gleefulness. Not a pretty sight. But dammit, if this wasn't happiness that the raven was feeling, he didn't know what was, because Naruto was _back_! As he sprinted past bewildered citizens and friends alike, he checked to make sure he had his katana on him and smirked when he felt its familiar weight on his back, turning a sharp right and running down a narrow alley to leap unto a roof, shingles tumbling under his feet as he did so.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Sasuke felt like he could leap so high he could brush the moon with his fingers, catch a piece of a star in his palm, even take hold of a planet as he ran faster than he thought he could towards the east wall, arms held behind his back and eyes narrowed against the stream of wind that was howling in his ears. Activating his sharnigan, he attempted to scan the ever approaching tree line for the two birch trees Kakashi had described, and noticed that within two trees near the edge of the wall there was a bubble of orange chakra, and within its depths sat a small blue orb.

The color of blue eyes that Sasuke hadn't seen properly for six years.

The orange bubbled like lava, overflowing the trees and disrupting the local forest dwelling animals as Sasuke breached over the east wall, sentry guards exclaiming his name as he did so, but he ignored them. Landing on the leaf strewn ground, Sasuke ducked into a somersault to lessen his impact before standing upright and running full speed once more, racing against time if it meant seeing the boy he had been longing for sooner.

Night animals screeched in surprise as he tore past them in a whirlwind, leaves stirring under his feet and even small trees bending in his wake as his excitement pushed him even harder than before, wind blowing past his ears almost painfully. But it didn't matter, because as Sasuke broke into a clearing and moonlight shattered on his feet, two birch trees with intertwining branches towered before his eyes. Flowing chakra into his feet, Sasuke skidded to a halt and looked back briefly to see the two thick gouges his feet had dug into the dirt. Breathing heavily and bending over, Sasuke looked up into the trees and saw a clawed hand dangling from the very tip of the tree limbs.

A rare smile split on Sasuke's lips, and he leapt up into the tree despite how tired his lungs were, weaving and ducking up to the middle of the tree, where a small opening in the leaves had been dug out to allow for the figure that lay sound asleep as Sasuke paused by it, his eyes trailing the black sandal-clad feet and black shinobi pants covered legs, the torn white shirt and, finally, the whiskered cheeks and blonde hair that framed them. The only disturbance in the familiar images were the two canine fangs that protruded from tightly clenched lips.

But despite that, Sasuke breathed out one name. "Naruto..."


	12. Searching for a Friend

A/N:

Wassup everyone! I'm back, but before we begin I have some things to clear up for you guys. So, the timeline of this story (before the timeskip I added in) is set right after Pain attacks Konoha, Naruto kicks his ass, yada yada yada, and before Naruto leaves to train with Killer B before the war. Sasuke had already attacked Kage Summit and Obito/Tobi declared war on the shinobi nations. I wish I had an actual timeframe within the manga and chapters to give you but alas, I'm too lazy to go looking for them. -insert troll face-

Anyways, if you're confused on that, Akatsuki is gone as it is in the manga and anime and thus they have no reason to be chasing the Kyuubi. I added in a three year timeskip, mainly cause I didn't really feel like writing about everyone's lives for three years xD (and I'm sure Kishimoto-sama didn't feel like drawing Naruto's daily life for three years during the canon timeskip)

So now, characters. I didn't change, say, Kiba's personality much because I just enjoy his character and the humor he brings, and since Naruto isn't around to be the gigantic idiot, Kiba filled the role. I like to think it's his way of mourning Naruto's disappearance, since the blonde acted really similar to how he acts now and he wants to remember Naruto by both staying the same 16 year old he was and imitating Naruto.

That's another point; everyone was 16 when the war started, so two years have passed, and now everyone is 18! This story takes place in around May or April, so Lee, TenTen, Neji, and anyone else a year older than the Rookie Nine (I'm too lazy to go look for the rest) are twenty, but the rest are 19, including Naruto. This is the year they all turn 20.

Well, that's all I can think of for now. And now, true to Naruto Shippuden tradition, let's have a flashback! Enjoy ;)

* * *

Searching for a Friend

**Naruto**

*One year ago*

A cloaked figure swept through the crowded streets of a trading village just inside the Fire Country's border with Suna, his claw-like fingernails scraping the material of his cover every now and then as he searched for the one place he hoped to find the cure to what was ailing him. Glancing around, a seventeen year old Naruto, having just "celebrated" his birthday little over six months ago, pulled the hood of his cloak more securely over his head as a gust of wind brushed it back.

Cursing the fact that his birthday just _had_ to be in the fall, in bloody October, when the leaves were just turning wrinkly and brown while cascading to the forest floor, abandoned by their trees and doomed to an eternity of rotting into the earth, Naruto grumbled under his breath about the cruelness of it all...and the irony, because right now the blonde longed to join those leaves in their decaying state, simply fading into the earth and leaving no trace of their existence behind...

"Oof!"

Naruto pulled his face from the glass door it had impacted with, and he realized that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going and people were staring at him like he had some sort of mental problem. But that was just outside the building that Naruto had collided with. On the inside, as the fox child peered in, he saw people staring at him in horror and contempt. Some shakily pulled weapons from their pockets if they were shinobi while others gathered children into their arms and hustled them away from the door, warily casting glances over their shoulders to see if Naruto would enter.

Smiling sadly to himself, Naruto shook his head and turned away, pulling up his fallen hood as he did so, and made his way back to the main road while scolding himself for not keeping a better track of his senses which had led him to the see-through doors of a bakery. Glancing around, Naruto tried to remember where he was and found that he was lost.

_God dammit._

Naruto wanted to ask for directions, really, he did. But he was afraid that the creature inside of him would choose this time to screw him over and try to take control, worsening his already gruesome appearance (again thanks to that damned fox) and causing even more fright to those who gazed upon him. Sucking in a breath and praying to whatever powers that existed that he would get through this unscathed, Naruto turned and shot a quick glance to the grey sky as he did so, directing his thoughts up there before heading towards an old man sitting outside of a tea shop.

"Excuse me," the blonde said politely, trying to avoid his normal, boisterous behavior as much as possible (apparently _some_ people had caught on to the fact that Naruto was a generally loud person and, since he had stolen numerous times just to stay alive, was wanted for many crimes that, in one particular case, involved whipped cream and chicken feathers. Even when stealing, Naruto just _had_ to prank someone...) the balding man looked up at the sound of Naruto's voice, and offered the blonde a grin that was missing a few teeth.

"May I help you?" He asked in response. _Yeah. Get this parasite out of me. _Naruto smiled, despite the fact the man couldn't see it. "Yes. Um, where's the library?" Naruto asked, turning his head as if he could actually see the building from here. "Ah, well, just go up this road and make a right. It'll be the old building with the red brick," the old man said and pointed in the direction Naruto had come from. The blonde nearly slammed his palm to his forehead when he glanced in that direction...

And noticed Sakura and Ino helping a limping Shikamaru down the road, towards Naruto and his companion.

(A/N: yeah...you might wanna shield your eyes from this.) _Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck fuck! Oh my Kami I am so screwed if they see me here, fuck shit titty bitch motherfucker..._

"Thanks old man," Naruto called and turned, his cloak flapping loudly as he did so, walking briskly into the thickening crowds and praying again, this time that the three and whoever else was with them didn't recognize him while he tried to find a roundabout way to the library. Unfortunately, as he neared the end of the road, he found only a left turn, not the right he needed to make in order to reach his destination.

And not only that, but Sakura and crew were drawing nearer. As Naruto turned around, he slowly counted the staggering teenagers that trailed behind Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru, and the string of curses running through his mind began to grow in length and colorfulness. Then, he saw something that, if he wasn't trying not draw attention to himself he would have dropped back onto his ass due to the fact that his knees would have given out at the sight.

Sasuke was in the middle of the group. Not trying to kill every living creature in sight, not trying to spout some crap about revenge and hating Konoha...just there. Walking amongst Naruto's friends like it was the most natural thing in the world. _Former friends, _the blonde reminded himself as his eyes trailed the raven, wondering why the rookies weren't converging on him with an intention to kill, but rather Neji was conversing with the Uchiha and Sai even clapped his hand on the other boy's shoulder!

Was today the apocalypse? The day hell froze over? Naruto couldn't move as, thankfully, the entire group made their way into a motel that lined the road and didn't come any further in Naruto's direction. He was about to sigh in relief, when Sasuke's black eyes suddenly snapped up from watching the ground and connected straight with his own, seemingly staring straight into his very _fucking soul _and searching for something.

Something important that the raven had lost.

Keeping perfectly still, Naruto stared back and refused to break the contact Sasuke had unknowingly made, while the raven simply stood on the stairs leading up to the motel, arms shoved into the pockets of his black shinobi pants (which were missing that ridiculous purple rope-thing, much to Naruto's happiness) and his eyes still holding that profound sadness...Naruto felt like he should maybe, possibly pretend to be someone else and go converse with the raven; after all, they hadn't had a proper conversation for five years. Surely Naruto could spare five minutes?

But then again...Sasuke knew Naruto better than anyone. And if there was one person who could see any ruse Naruto made, it would just have to be Sasuke. So as the Uchiha slowly shook his head and closed his eyes, turning and going inside of the motel, Naruto felt a strange pang of regret strike his heart. Telling the emotion to shut the fuck up until Naruto reached a proper place where he could mourn, he slowly paced towards the road the old man had pointed out in his directions, a weird sense of sorrow dragging down Naruto's limbs and making him feel like he had weights tied to his legs.

Casting a longing look towards the motel while passing it, Naruto eventually returned his attention to where he was actually walking after having rammed his shoulders into a few dozen people as he did so. _Since they're here, that must mean they're looking for me. After all, Konoha is still sending search parties for me. This just means I have to hide my chakra from Shino's bugs and make sure my scent isn't strong enough for Kiba and Akamaru to smell. But, there's Hinata and Neji's Byukgan, and if they use that on me I'm screwed. And Sasuke with his damn sharnigan, he can see through my hood in a heartbeat if he wants to..._

Wrapped in his worried thoughts, Naruto turned the corner and saw the old red building the old man had described while he mused over ways to avoid the Konoha nin. The arched wooden doorways and the high vaulted windows which gave a view into worn oak bookshelves that rose out of sight, along with the red stone of the building indeed gave it an old charm and an odd air that the building knew secrets. Terrible, great secrets that shouldn't be exposed. Too bad Naruto was going to dig around like a nosy kid to find them, or the place might seem a little more innocent.

As he approached the building, he noticed that the high doors were already open, and he questioned at why because he was freezing, _everywhere. _"Excuse me." Naruto froze in his stride at the cool, deceptive voice. _Stay calm Naruto. Just stay calm and don't flip out. You're just a random traveler on your way to the library. _Turning as non-flipping-out-of-my-mind-and-pissing-myself-a-little as he could, Naruto faced Sasuke's carefully blank face, midnight eyes watching him carefully. "...Yes?" Naruto asked evenly, discreetly preforming seals under his cloak for a henge jutsu he had invented that changed his appearance enough that no tell-tale smoke would appear, signaling he had cast said jutsu, and changing his voice.

No feature on Sasuke's face changed, and if he noticed the original tone of Naruto's voice, the raven didn't comment on it. "I was simply wondering if I've met you before," Sasuke asked. Naruto could almost hear the Uchiha's thoughts in his head, and they weren't pretty. "I don't believe so," the blonde replied, subtly shifting his right leg towards the library. If Sasuke saw the hint, again, he didn't acknowledge it. If anything, the raven stepped slightly _closer_ to Naruto, and the fox child noted that the raven was _still_ slightly taller than him. _Dammit._

"Are you sure? You seem really familiar," Sasuke said, and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "How can you see under my hood?" Naruto asked innocently, trying to keep the fear of discovery out of his voice. If Sasuke figured out who he was, and if he was indeed somehow tied to Konoha _(hah!) _then...he was more than screwed. He was fucked. Sasuke tilted his head to the left and arched an eyebrow. "It doesn't really hide your face well in the daylight," the Uchiha noted. Meanwhile, inner Naruto was screaming to his mind to not shut down now and have the blonde kneel over and beg for forgiveness. No, he wouldn't back down now after how hard he had worked to get here.

"I see," Naruto said smoothly, pleased with the note of confidence that managed to creep into his tone. "Well, do you know where you might have seen me before?" Sasuke was silent for a few moments, and nothing but the sounds of bustling crowds and laughing children filled his ears for those minuscule seconds. "You...remind me of a close friend of mine."

Well, that was a shock. If Sasuke was referring to who Naruto thought he was...

"Oh. Really? I'm flattered," Naruto said, again shifting his body towards the library. Sasuke nodded. "He's been...gone. For awhile." Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Naruto arched an eyebrow. "Well, I hope you find him," the blonde replied, not truthfully, because the "friend" Sasuke was looking for didn't want to be found. The raven nodded. "Yeah." As Naruto turned to leave, Sasuke seemed to start to say something, then hesitated. "Yes?" The blonde asked and internally kicked himself for not getting out of there while he still could. "If you don't mind...what's your name?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto offered a sad smile and allowed his hood to drop from his face, revealing his clean cheeks and short, spiky brown hair. And his sky blue eyes. "Namikaze Kitsune," Naruto replied, voice light but eyes heavy with sorrow as he turned away and pulled his hood back up, allowing the henge to fall as he vanished from Sasuke's sight into the library.

* * *

This chapter is meant to be short since it's just a flashback :p I hope you enjoyed it and I'll post the actual confrontation between Sasuke and Naruto tomorrow ;D


	13. The Reason

The Reason

**Sasuke**

"Naruto..." Sasuke breathed out. Shock coursed through him at the matured features of Naruto's face, and despite having been so happy for this moment, a sudden pang of foreboding struck his heart. Crouching low, Sasuke managed to shift the branches draping over their heads and allowed a beam of moonlight to, ironically, strike upon Naruto's eyes and illuminate his right cheek, which was upturned and bearing numerous scratches that weren't the weird scars he already possessed on his skin.

Sasuke managed to shuffle forward about three steps, eyes locked on Naruto as he did so, and found himself barely hanging onto the branch with his toes once he reached Naruto's head. Instinctively, he reached out and latched his hand on the nearest solid object, which was Naruto's arm, and he pulled himself forward while using the blonde's weight as an anchor to secure himself on the thick, yet still small branch.

Once he was stilled, Sasuke released the limb and returned to staring down at Naruto, studying his features and, unconsciously, reaching out to place his palm upon the upturned cheek Naruto presented. Smirking to himself at a memory, since in the very far past when the two were actually friends and not out to kill the other, Naruto would reject any form of contact given by the raven in the defense of not wanting to become an asshole.

As if behavior could be transmitted through touch.

Peering down, Sasuke lowered himself until he was just barely sitting on top of Naruto, and if Sasuke had the corrupted mind Kakashi possessed he would have been thinking some very particular thoughts, but instead his left hand flashed out like a snake and grasped at the collar of Naruto's shirt, pulling the blonde's head up to barely brush against Sasuke's forehead as he dropped his palm from the fox child's cheek.

"You disappear for _three fucking years_ and don't even think to give everyone a hint you're still alive?" Sasuke hissed, and he unknowingly activated his sharnigan as sudden rage filled his veins. "You think you can just leave everyone behind and let us think you're _dead_?! What the hell!" Sasuke knew he was talking to an unconscious Naruto, but it was Naruto, and it was good enough for him to pour his rage out.

He opened his mouth to start his rant over, when Naruto's eyelids flickered open to reveal crimson red irises with cat-like pupils in their depths. The blonde's jaw instantly tightened and Sasuke felt his fists clench by the raven's sides, where they no longer hung loosely over the birch tree branch. "Sasuke," Naruto hissed, his voice unusually deep and scratchy. Well, unusual because the last time Sasuke heard Naruto talk was at that bridge, where he tried to kill Sakura...

"First Kakashi and Guy, now you. Is Konoha throwing a homecoming party for me? I'm touched." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Cut the crap," he snarled and slammed Naruto back onto the wood, remembering he still had his hand wrapped around the other man's shirt. "Why the hell did you leave Konoha?" Naruto chuckled, and Sasuke felt shivers run down his back at the eerie sound. Wait. Why was Naruto _laughing_ eerily?

"Now, where does that line sound familiar?" The blonde asked and tapped at his chin with a clawed finger. "I said drop the act," Sasuke growled out threateningly. "Actually, if I recall, you said 'cut the crap'." Again, Sasuke lifted and then slammed Naruto against the branch. In response, an animalistic snarl sounded deep in Naruto's throat. "What the fuck did you think you were doing? Disappearing for three years and not telling anyone? Everyone thought you were dead! Are you _insane_!" Sasuke shouted.

"And did it occur to all of you that is exactly what I wanted?!" Naruto nearly screamed back, his crimson eyes narrowing to mere slits. Sasuke stood up while dragging Naruto with him, turning and slamming the blonde now against the trunk of the tree and placing his arm over the blonde's throat. "For three years I wanted to kill you," the raven whispered. Naruto barked out a laugh. "And you never could, because you couldn't sever the bond," the blonde coughed and grinned sadistically at Sasuke, his canine teeth poking over his lips.

Sasuke grimaced, but continued. "For three years after that, I have devoted my life to this rotting village for you! For Itachi! I thought you were _dead_ and I realized I hated the thought of that! I never once gave up hope that you were alive Naruto...not once." Sasuke lowered his gaze, and his voice softened into a broken whisper. "Why would you do this to us," he asked. If Naruto felt any sympathy, his face hid it quite well. If anything, the only thing that changed was the tightening of his jaw.

Sasuke's anger suddenly spiked again, and he pressed his forearm harder against the blonde's windpipe. "I have spent the past three years of my life looking for you," he yelled. "I searched everywhere! I thought that if you were alive, you would come back. But here you are, in a fucking _tree_ right outside of Konoha's walls! What the fuck-" Sasuke was cut off by Naruto's nails digging into his cheek and the opposite fist slamming into his chest, sending him reeling back and, if not for his chakra infused feet, he would have fallen.

Naruto, meanwhile, staggered towards him with a limp, his furious red eyes locked on Sasuke's own black and crimson orbs as his sharnigan shifted into the ellipses of his Mangekyo Sharnigan. "I didn't leave because I wanted to, unlike someone I know," the blonde hissed, his deep voice catching Sasuke off guard. The fox child then suddenly vanished, his image flickering, and then there was a rustle of air and a whisper of "I left because I needed to..." by Sasuke's ear and he leapt to the side as a rasengan was extended towards his skull.

Falling to the ground, Sasuke turned to see Naruto alight across from him, his feet teetering on the exposed roots of a birch tree. "Still using childish techniques like that?" Sasuke asked mockingly, forgetting in his anger that he was supposed to be bringing Naruto _back_, not fighting with him like he used to when he was sixteen. Naruto growled again. "Don't goad me," Naruto snarled, and his already red eyes flashed, despite the fact that a cloud now hovered over the moon.

Sasuke held back a laugh at that statement. Stepping forward, he allowed his chakra to propel him in front of Naruto faster than the normal eye could follow, and he bent down so his dark bangs were brushing Naruto's nose. "You can't do anything to me as long as I have these eyes Naruto," he whispered menacingly and allowing the darkness that he normally kept locked deep within himself seep into his tone. Naruto snorted. "What, you mean your brother's eyes, that you ripped from his skull and stuck into your own?" Naruto murmured back.

The blonde was so going to wish he hadn't said that.

Growling wordlessly, Sasuke poured his chakra into his left palm and extended it while the sound of chirping birds filled the air, crackling lightning aimed straight at Naruto's heart. The fox child laughed and vanished, reappearing somewhere near Sasuke's right. "Still using childish techniques like that?" The blonde imitated, deepening his voice to match Sasuke's. Turning to face the boy, Sasuke narrowed his glare. "Perhaps now you understand what it's like to chase someone who didn't want to come home."

Sasuke froze as he began to stalk forward. He recalled Sakura's words of his obsession with finding Naruto, and how eerily accurate her description was of his actions in comparison to the fox child's, who suddenly allowed a wide grin to split his lips. "So you do know!" The blonde said in mock happiness, a hard glint in his eyes as he clapped his hands. Sasuke didn't say anything, but slowly drew his hand behind his back and gripped the hilt of his katana, the sound of steel gliding on steel grating on his ears as he pulled it out.

Naruto's eyes instantly flicked to where the raven's arm was hidden behind his back, and some distant, rational part of his mind wondered how the blonde could have possibly heard the noise from so far away. But the larger and more rash part of his mind was focused on the combination of anger, pain and happiness that he felt at the blonde's presence, and he wasn't about to let the boy- no, _man_ get away now. Not after all Sasuke went through to get to this point. "Naruto, why did you leave," Sasuke asked, not moving so much as a hair in the fear that he would anger the blonde and set his wrath upon himself.

The person in question narrowed his glare and leaned into a defensive stance, probably thinking Sasuke meant to catch him off guard with the question. "I don't need to explain anything after the shit you pulled on everyone three years ago," Naruto snarled in response, and Sasuke sighed. "I'm not letting you get away Naruto," Sasuke said softly. "Not when I'm so close..." "Are you the only thing you ever think about?!" Naruto shouted suddenly. "You left for _yourself_. You killed Itachi for _yourself_. You nearly killed me, twice, for _yourself_!" Naruto stepped forward. "Everything you do is for yourself, Sasuke! I left for the _village_. I left because if I stayed everyone I cared about would be dead!"

Taken aback, Sasuke was speechless at the admission. "What do you mean," he managed to whisper as a breeze brushed across his face and tousled Naruto's hair. "I told you, I don't have to explain anything!" Naruto screamed, and as he peered into Naruto's face, Sasuke saw a hint of insanity glistening in those red eyes. More mindless laughter erupted from Naruto's mouth at whatever he saw in Sasuke's features. "He's killing me," the blonde said. Sasuke's blood froze. "What is," he asked urgently, and regardless of Naruto's reaction, he stepped forward.

The blonde watched him warily, but didn't react as he opened his mouth to speak. "What else has been with me for nineteen years?" He sighed out, weariness gradually seeping into his tone. Sasuke had a decent guess...but he wanted to hear Naruto say it. "Well?" The raven prompted when Naruto didn't continue. The blonde glared at Sasuke in response. "The Kyuubi," he grit out, and Sasuke could have sworn he heard cloister bells in his head at the dark mention of the fox demon. "How is it killing you...? Didn't your father fix the seal?" Sasuke asked, recalling the story he had heard from Tsunade and Kakashi of Pain's attack, and Naruto's emotional release of the Kyuubi at Hinata's death.

Naruto snorted. "Things break over time Sasuke," he stated. Sasuke took another careful step forward and discreetly pulled two kunai from his armguards and tied a hair thin steel wire to their hilts. "The Kyuubi is taking over my mind and my body. There's no stopping it...I was going to go to Tsunade baa-chan to see if she could find anything in my father's old scrolls. The library in that trading village was no good..." The mention of that place struck a chord in Sasuke's mind. "What're you talking about?" The raven asked, and another brush of wind touched his face.

"Shit," Naruto muttered, worry flashing in his eyes and wrinkling his brow for a brief moment. Sasuke stepped forward again and shifted the blade's in his hands to his right while Naruto moved his feet on the tree root, back pressing against the thick tree trunk behind him. An image of a cloaked figure standing before a red brick building flashed in Sasuke's head. "You were that cloaked person, weren't you," the raven gasped out. "Namikaze Kitsune," Naruto corrected, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I was so close to you," Sasuke whispered. "All of us, right before the war, we were so close to you..." Naruto glared at Sasuke, mouth tight. "Why were you there?" The Uchiha asked, needing to know why.

"That library supposedly had information on how to kill the tailed beasts," Naruto muttered after a long silence. Surprise caused Sasuke to nearly drop his kunai, and he barely managed to hook his index finger in the loop of one of the blades while the other barely grazed his calf. "There's no other way to stop the Kyuubi from taking over you?" "None that I know of." Sasuke looked away from Naruto's suddenly sad and tired gaze. "Well.." Sasuke flung the kunai without turning his head back to the blonde, and Naruto barely had time to register the whistle of blades slicing through the air as the kunai embedded themselves next to his shoulders in the birch tree, the metal wire tying his stocky frame to the bark.

"Dammit Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, struggling to break his arms free. Sasuke smirked as he strode forward quickly, stopping in front of the restrained Jinchūriki and pressing his lips close to the other's ear. "Now where have we heard that before..." He whispered, and chuckled when Naruto growled in annoyance. "You're _seriously_ going to wish you hadn't tied me up like this," Naruto muttered, eyes cast on the ground when Sasuke stepped back. "Oh am I," the raven said hauntingly, and he felt the urge to grip Naruto's chin and force the blonde to meet his cold gaze, but he brushed it aside in favor of taking in Naruto's predicament.

"It doesn't seem like you have much of a choice in the matter Naruto," Sasuke continued, and Naruto's eyes snapped up to meet Sasuke's eyes with a certain emotion in his eyes...but it wasn't malice.

It was fear.

"Sasuke, let me out!" Naruto shouted and struggled harder against the wire binding him to the trunk. Confusion swept through Sasuke as the blonde seemed to double over, eyes closing and shivers racking his frame. "What's wrong? Can't handle being trapped by me?" Sasuke taunted, although he felt the mockery was unnecessary in this situation. Naruto groaned in response, his dangerous aura gone and replaced with a flare of visible orange chakra, that seemed scarily familiar to Sasuke. The blonde slowly raised his head and met Sasuke's eyes, and his pupils seemed to contract and then grow in size, almost overtaking the red of his irises.

"Sasuke, _let me go_." Naruto seemed to beg, and the sudden change in behavior worried Sasuke. "Naruto, what's going on?" Sasuke asked and started to step forward, but then the orange chakra burst from Naruto and stung at his skin, sending the Uchiha stumbling back and gripping his arm, where angry burns were already festering on his pale skin. Naruto whimpered (a strange noise considering the blonde's feral appearance) and another shiver rushed through his limbs. "Sasuke-! He-he-he's..." Naruto could barely get the words past his lips, and Sasuke had to deactivate his sharnigan due to the sheer brightness the chakra emitting from Naruto.

Ignoring the stinging pain the enveloped his body, Sasuke ran forward and slashed at the metal bindings that held Naruto to the tree with his chakra-infused katana, and the blonde fell to the forest floor, head held in his hands and kneeling in a prayer-like fashion. "Go away..." Naruto muttered, and Sasuke didn't know if he was talking to himself or to the Kyuubi, which was most likely behind this outburst taking place right now. Bending down, Sasuke tentatively placed his palm under Naruto's overgrown bangs and felt forehead, which was burning up with a heat Sasuke didn't know humans could withstand.

"I told you to let me go!" Naruto screamed, and he lashed out to grip Sasuke's wrist and yank the raven forward, eyes half-lidded in pain and sharp gasps escaping his clenched teeth, sweat dripping down his cheeks. The raven stared, wide-eyed, as Naruto's eyes closed and he moaned, the hand holding Sasuke's shaking terribly and he bent his head, bangs covering his eyes. "You never listen..." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "As if you do," he muttered. Naruto had to get to Tsunade, and fast. Or Sasuke feared the Kyuubi would break out and...

He couldn't even think the vile word.

Scooping Naruto into his arms (when was the last time the blonde ate?) Sasuke flung the man onto his back and wrapped his arms around the other's legs while the Jinchūriki's own arms clenched tightly over each other around Sasuke's neck. "I'm taking you to Tsunade," Sasuke muttered over his shoulder to Naruto, and the blonde hissed in pain in response. "...Hurry..." Naruto groaned out and his head rolled limply into Sasuke's neck, the blonde's skin almost searingly hot against the coolness of Sasuke's neck.

Wincing at the heat, and wondering how bad it was for Naruto, Sasuke sprinted back the way he came, again reaching a speed he didn't think he could have reached by normal means while the trees melted into one black, brown, and green blur and he narrowly dodged animals that came dashing across his path, their startled cries barely reaching the raven's ears through Naruto's groans and cries while he caught sight of the East Wall. Realizing it would be impossible to scale the concrete fortification, Sasuke cursed under his breath and swerved to the right, aiming for the main gates and praying to Kami that they weren't closed this late at night, feet barely touching the ground in his race against the Kyuubi's influence. _I will __not__ lose him now, _Sasuke thought suddenly.

"...Stay down," Naruto mumbled, pressing his face into the junction between Sasuke's neck and shoulder, a muffled shout of pain reaching Sasuke and the blonde's voice seemingly vibrating his very bones as he ran. Gritting his teeth and feeling sweat pour down his face, Sasuke pressed his legs harder, pushing himself and his endurance to limits he never imagined as the thankfully open wooden gates came into profile view, the large dirt path that led into the village gleaming silver in the moonlight as Sasuke approached at breakneck speed.

Branches whipped at Sasuke's face as he tried to keep his stride as even as he could for Naruto's sake more than his own, but an even surface to run would have been nice in the current moment...turning sharply to the left, Sasuke bolted in between the doors and immersed himself in the late night crowds of Konoha, the rooftops seeming too bumpy for Naruto's comfort. Shouts of surprise and shock arose all around Sasuke as he ran by in a black and white blur, a splash of yellow and orange clinging to his back while the Hokage Tower and Mountain loomed achingly slow in his vision.

He saw Sakura's pink hair as he sprinted by, and her voice joined the chorus of astounded others, but he ignored her. She would come later. Naruto mumbled something again, and Sasuke risked looking over his shoulder briefly to see Naruto's canine teeth suddenly having grown significantly and his eyes closed. His grip around Sasuke's throat slacked. Growling wordlessly at the Kyuubi's influence, Sasuke burst through the front doors of the Tower and ran up numerous staircases three at a time, turning corners sharply and knocking into numerous people as he did so, not even coming to a stop in front of Tsunade's door, bursting inside and shocking the Hokage inside.

"Sasuke-" she started, but stopped when she saw who Sasuke was bearing on his back. The raven was breathing heavily, unable to speak while Naruto suddenly shouted "Go away!" and he slumped to his knees. Looking up pitifully at Tsunade, and feeling blood dripping from his cheek from the cut Naruto had placed there, Sasuke managed to take the blonde off his back and cradled him in his arms, the man cringing into the Uchiha's chest. "...Heal him..." Sasuke gasped out, and the last thing he remembered was kneeling over Naruto's shivering frame as if to protect him with his own body from some unknown force, a flash of orange, and then his vision went black.


	14. Confrontation

Confrontation

**Tsunade**

The office was in chaos. As soon as Sasuke's body hit the wooden floor, curled protectively around Naruto (who Tsunade could barely recgonize), all hell broke loose. Orange and red chakra surged from the blonde, and the intensity of the scream that ripped from his lips that followed shattered the windows in the room. Tsunade winced and rushed around her desk as wind howled from inside and outside the building. "Shizune!" The Hokage shouted, desperation leaking into her voice as she knelt in front of the unconscious raven and the writhing blonde in his arms.

She could barely hear the clacking of Shizune's wooden sandals as the medic nin ran into the room, her focus entirely on getting Naruto out of Sasuke's arms. "Tsunade-sama-!" Shizune cut off and crouched next to the Sannin, her eyes wide and trained on Naruto's pained face. "Naruto-kun!" She whispered. "Tend to Sasuke," Tsunade ordered and swung Naruto into her arms, speeding out of the room with only the sound of her heart beating in her ears and the occasional shout from Naruto. Making her way to her quarters of the Hokage Tower, Tsunade slammed the doors open with her foot and went to the medical station she had set up in a spare room of her rooms, placing Naruto carefully on a metal table and turning on the harsh operating lights that were hovering over his head.

The blonde continued to writhe about on the surface, and Tsunade had to restrain his arms and legs with built in steel restraints, keeping his chest exposed and as she pulled up his shirt to examine the seal on his stomach, her eyes widened and her blood froze.

The seal was glowing a bright red, spreading out like an infection all over Naruto's torso. "Naruto," Tsunade growled, trying to get the boy's attention. One red eye peeled open to glare at her. "Baa-chan," he gasped out, and Tsunade managed a weak smile despite the dire situation. "What is going on," she demanded, and Naruto groaned. "Kyuubi," he hissed, and Tsunade attempted to sooth the burning the blonde was sure to be feeling by healing his chakra veins. But as she pressed her green-encased palm against his stomach, a surge of crimson chakra ripped from Naruto's chest and gripped her arm. Both blondes screamed as Tsunade was thrown back against the door, the red chakra following her flight and pinning her to the wall.

The chakra then stabbed into Tsunade's stomach, and she coughed, tasting blood in her mouth and feeling it trickle down her chin. "Baa-chan...!" Tsunade heard Naruto attempt to shout, but then screamed violently as a whirlwind of red and black incased his torso. Her vision dimmed as the chakra blade left her body and more blood poured from the wound in her abdomen. _Naruto..._

* * *

**Sasuke**

"Ugh..." Sasuke sat up with a groan, holding his hand to his forehead with his eyes shut. "Stay down for a just a little more time Sasuke-kun," he heard Shizune command, and he complied by lowering himself back down and feeling a wet cloth dab against his cheek. "Where...where's Naruto," Sauske mumbled out, his limbs feeling heavy and his mind slow. Shizune didn't reply. "Shizune," Sasuke said. "Where is Naruto?" He opened his eyes to see the ravenette gazing past his body with a hard gaze in her eyes. She sucked in a deep breath, closing her own eyes. "Tsunade-sama took him to the hospital wing," she finally replied and continued her ministrations to Sasuke's face. He sat up again, ready to swing his legs over a table when he found he wasn't on one; he was on the floor.

"I have to see him," he demanded. "He's not in the best condition Sasuke-kun..." "Shizune, please," Sasuke pleaded and stood, the ravenette copying his motion and going to stand in front of the door, crossing her arms. "Tsunade-sama needs to-" the medic nin began, but was cut off by a roaring explosion that sounded, the noise crashing on Sasuke's ears. The two looked at each other, and then they were sprinting through the halls, Sasuke knocking down anyone who got in his way and Shizune barking orders while she led the way to where Tsunade was. Turning a corner, Sasuke suddenly was met with a blast of heat and the smell of sulfur, and a low red mist hung in the air. Shizune gasped.

"Tsunade-sama!" She screamed and ran forward, and Sasuke noticed the blonde Hokage laying against the wall, a broken door pressed against her back. Her eyes were closed, and blood dripped onto the floor from the corner of her lips and her stomach had a gaping hole the size of a medium-sized candle punched into it. Stepping forward, Sasuke saw Shizune desperately trying to mend the gash in the Sannin's torso, and his head slowly turned to the left, where the red mist emitted into the hallway through the open door frame. Striding inside, Sasuke coughed and held his sleeve to his face as a sickening smell of rotting flesh reached his nose. Drawing his katana, the raven activated his sharnigan to see in the dim lighting and caught sight of two figures seemingly fighting next to a table.

Running forward, Sasuke heard something roar, and there was a grunt as someone was shoved back, a wet cough following the collision. Whoever it was that was coughing was losing, badly. And Sasuke had a fair idea of who it was. A flash of yellow appeared in the fog, and Sasuke reached out instinctively and grasped someone's shoulder, pulling the figure towards himself and spinning him to face Naruto's very fear-filled face and red chakra dragging from his stomach, tearing his shirt, which was dripping with blood. "Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, voice ragged with pain, and his red eyes narrowed. "You have to get out-" "Enough of doing things on your own," Sasuke interrupted.

"A very wise, and oblivious person once told me that they would go to the end of the world and back for me, because they were my friend. Now I'm doing the same for them." Naruto opened his mouth to retort when a blurry red shadow appeared over his shoulder. "...How touching..." A deep voice growled, and Naruto's face paled. The shorter man turned his eyes back to Sasuke from glancing over his back, and he shouted "Sasuke, go!" before coughing and allowing more blood to dribble down his chin. Sasuke drew his katana fully and swung it into the chakra connected to Naruto's stomach, finding with dismay that the blade simply passed through the material, creating a very narrow cut that grew back into one whole string once Sasuke's weapon passed through.

"You can't destroy me like you did last time boy," the deep voice chuckled, and Sasuke recognized it, along with the dripping ceiling and wet floor that accompanied the memory. "Kyuubi," he growled. "Don't.." Naruto pleaded, but he was ignored by both figures. "Uchiha," the fox replied mockingly, and the red shadow suddenly appeared in full view behind Naruto's back as two long ears appeared on its head and two white, soulless eyes and a jagged white grin appeared on its face. Four waving tails sprouted behind its own back and Naruto groaned, and he would have fallen to the floor if Sasuke hadn't gripped his arms and supported the blonde's now very weak weight.

"Naruto, what is happening," Sasuke whispered into the blonde's ear, keeping his eyes locked on the wavering, almost ghostly form of the Kyuubi. "I told you," the Jinchūriki murmured back. "He's killing me. He's breaking out of the seal and escaping in a pure chakra form, weakening my own system and keeping my body intact." "So..." "He's taking over me," Naruto whispered. The Kyuubi growled contently. "For a blockhead, I should have known you'd have a little bit of intelligence in that skull," the demon hissed, his tails weaving in the air behind his back, and his mouth eerily not moving with the words he spoke.

"I won't let you win," Naruto muttered, but even as he spoke, his eyes suddenly flashed blue and his weight slacked even more into Sasuke's chest and arms. "It looks like I already have," the Kyuubi chuckled, and then leaped up, punching through the roof above their heads and causing wood and plaster to rain down on the men. "I gave you the chance to live Naruto," the demon's deep voice called down. Naruto let out a gargled yell in response, and then blue mingled with red chakra oozed from his eyes, his ears, and from his stomach and encasing his body in a whirling vortex that cascaded upwards to where the Kyuubi disappeared.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, wind howling in his ears as he was being pulled away from the blonde, pushed towards the opposite wall and, as the red mist cleared, he saw the blonde's original blue eyes flash in the depths of the chakra. "...Stop him..." Naruto's voice rose shakily over the noise, and Sasuke heard Shizune run away from the room, shrieking about Tsunade and how she needed to be taken to the hospital immediately, and to call a level one red-alert. "I'm not leaving you," Sasuke growled. Naruto glowered back through is pain, and the chakra pushed Sasuke away even more, and terror consumed his mind when he felt his grip on Naruto's shoulders loosening. "Save the village!" the blonde called once, then Sasuke was shoved away fully, through the doorway as his katana was flung from his grasp, where he watched a wall of blue and black chakra cover the hole.

Sitting in Tsunade's blood, Sasuke listened to his best friend's screams of agony.

"No," Sasuke snarled and sat up, crouching and then leaping forward the slam his fists against the chakra, finding that it proved to form a solid wall that pulsed blue and black in waves. Staggering back, Sasuke picked up his fallen weapon and his lightning chakra surged into the blade, and the sound of chirping birds clashed with whirling winds and the horrible shouts coming from Naruto. Charging again, the raven swung his katana into the chakra, and found that it indeed slice through the material, only to find the gap he had created knit back together on its own. _I'm not losing anyone else! _Sasuke screamed in his mind and his thoughts flickered to Itachi, his mother, his father.

He would _not_ lose Naruto too.

But he couldn't get inside, dammit! Growling under his breath, Sasuke began to pace in the now demolished hallway and glared at the doorway, arms clasped behind his back. A soft keening sounded from the entrance to the hall. He turned on his heel to see Kya shivering by the doorway, her yellow eyes furious but her body shaking in fear. She whimpered again and her head shook towards the doorway. Sasuke went to crouch in front of the wolf and pat her head. "I know..." He whispered. "My friend is in there..." Kya nodded, but when Sasuke looked into her eyes, he knew he had to do what he was telling himself not to.

"I can't leave him Kya," he murmured brokenly. "I just found him...Konoha just got him back..." But the look in her eyes told him that there would be _no_ Konoha if Sasuke didn't leave Naruto and help fight the inevitable destruction the Kyuubi was creating. She growled and she butted her head lightly against Sasuke's chest. He hugged the wolf quickly, then stood, looking over his shoulder at the doorway. "I will be back," Sasuke whispered. "This time, that is my promise of a lifetime." And then he was following Kya through the empty hallways, to the burning world outside.

* * *

**Naruto**

Blackness. That was all Naruto could register as he lay on his back, in front of the Kyuubi's now empty and open cage, back soaked in the water that pooled beneath him. But this time it wasn't water.

It was blood. _His_ blood.

"I failed," the blonde whispered, and the movement caused him to shift in his floating, and he closed his eyes as a wave of pain overtook his legs. "I couldn't protect Konoha. Or Sakura, or Baa-chan, everyone..." Regret washed over Naruto, and he felt it as clearly as as if someone had shoved a knife into his stomach. Tsunade knew that feeling, he reminded himself, and winced as he remembered the cry that she had emitted before she was gone from his sight. "Ero-sennin," Naruto laughed out, tears starting to form in his cerulean eyes. "Is this what you meant by saving the world? Giving up my life so the Kyuubi dies too?..." Naruto choked back a sob. "I'm sorry...all I ever did was fail...I failed to bring Sasuke back, I failed to tame the Kyuubi, I failed to protect Konoha..."

The blonde continued to cry softly to himself, his voice echoing in the large space of his mind, and he felt himself starting to be lifted, the blood under him growing in volume, and Naruto winced as his legs suddenly disappeared from his senses. He felt drained. He felt empty. He felt so, so alone. But it was for the best. Because of Naruto died, so did the Kyuubi.

"Enjoy your freedom while you can fox," Naruto muttered, and satisfaction filled him as he realized the Kyuubi would soon be experiencing the same pain that he did. By chance, he glanced down and saw that his legs were completely covered in black, two shadows connected to his hips and the darkness creeping ever closer towards his chest. The Jinchūriki closed his eyes. "I'm sorry Tou-san," he mumbled as he remembered Minato's parting words. "I couldn't control it after all." The blackness seeped over his chest, and was about to cover his neck when, suddenly, Sasuke and Sakura's blood-streaked faces flashed in his vision, and the blonde sat up violently, shattering the shadows.

"No," he said. "No! I will not let them die! Or anyone!" Naruto stood up, blood dripping from his clothes, but he didn't care. He had a village to save.

His eyes opened to a whirlwind of blue and black.

* * *

**Sasuke**

Sasuke sucked in his breath and held it as he beheld the sight before him. The village was in flames; fire licked at large buildings and people were running through the streets screaming, away from the Hokage Tower, and a large red fox was effortlessly batting away shinobi that leapt at it with its paw in front of the building. Kya snarled, and Sasuke felt fury well up inside of him at the sight of the village that Naruto and Itachi worked so hard to protect burning to the ground. "Let's go," he muttered to his companion, and she barked once, and then he was running through crowds of people, eyes trained on the fox that was now easily half his size.

As he drew nearer, Sasuke sucked in a deep breath. "Amaterasu!" Black flames billowed in Sasuke's mouth and, as they released, he formed them into a sharp spear aimed straight at the Kyuubi's heart. The demon roared as the fire collided with his forming flesh and burned relentlessly over his chest. Leaping, Sasuke landed on the roof of a building and Kya followed, a snarl deep in her throat and she barked once, crouching into an offensive stance. "Uchiha," the fox snarled. "Kyuubi," Sasuke replied coolly, hiding the pure rage he felt inside. "You think defeating me will save the idiot?" The fox laughed, a cold and hard sound. "Let's see if your theory is correct." Sasuke looked once at Kya, and the wolf nodded. She ran forward, and once the Kyuubi was distracted, Sasuke clapped his hands together in a seal.

"Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu!" Orange fire in the shape of a dragon's head burst from his mouth, the sound of whooshing flames forming into the roar of the regal creature as it flew to the sky, bypassing the Kyuubi. "Fool," the fox mocked, and Kya suddenly leapt at him, her claws growing and lengthing, tipped with silver as she dug them into his side. "No," Sasuke said, holding his hand up to the sky and diverting Amaterasu's flames from the Kyuubi to burn on the ground, and suddenly the air felt much warmer. Ominous thunderheads gathered in the already dark sky, and blue lightning crackled in Sasuke's palm. "What-" "Kirin." The sky flashed white, and then a blue panther filled the night air, roaring and crackling as a stream of blue extended from it into Sasuke hand.

The Kyuubi's white eyes seemed to widen as he flung Kya from his side, and Sasuke lowered his arm to point at the Kyuubi. Roaring, the lightning panther raced towards the ground, twisting in the air and crackling, until it collided with the Kyuubi and sending it flying off of the building it stood on, demolishing anything in his wake and leaving a large crater more than fifty yards away. Silence and darkness filled the air as all of Konoha held their breaths, and Sasuke carefully shifted his footing and caused shingles to tumble to the ground under his feet. The red chakra that was flowing from the Hokage Tower dwindled.

Then a furious roar billowed forward and the chakra surged, creating a thicker stream, and the Kyuubi rose from the wreckage it had created, much larger than before and made purely of exposed muscle. It's eyes were wide with rage, and he seemed beyond to capacity to speak as he opened his fearsome jaws and a small, dense black sphere with red and blue swirls appeared between them. And it was aimed right at Sasuke. Screams ripped the air and bodies flew like splinters as the Kyuubi rose to his feet and swiped at the ground, blood dripping from its forming claws and the ball in his jaws growing bigger and wider. Kya whimpered and a pit of fear opened in Sasuke at the sight.

Then there was a clap of air resembling thunder, and then the black sphere was racing towards Sasuke...and he knew he couldn't get out of the way fast enough to survive, hell, not even Susano'o could save him from this. But just as the darkness was about to consume the whole of Sasuke's vision, the sphere suddenly was diverted to Sasuke's left, flying over Konoha and landing outside its walls, creating a thick crater just outside the West Wall. "What the..." Sasuke looked up from sheilding Kya with his arms to see Naruto standing before him, arm extended to the Kyuubi and clothes ripped. "Naruto!" Sasuke exclaimed and stood up, ready to walk towards the blonde when he shook his head.

"This is my fight Sasuke," the Jinchūriki murmured. Something didn't seem right to Sasuke, the way the blonde was standing, the tone of his voice...seemed off. "Naruto, what-" "Sasuke." Naruto looked behind his shoulder, and Sasuke saw those sky blue eyes everyone had longer to see for the past three years. "Foolish child," the Kyuubi then growled and grew in size. Naruto winced as more chakra streamed from his stomach. "What do you think you are-" the Kyuubi cut off as Naruto ran forward, an enormous rasengan in his palm. The blonde leapt from rooftop to rooftop, closing the distance between himself and the Kyuubi faster than most human eyes could follow, but Sasuke watched every step with baited breath.

"Odama Rasengan!" Naruto extended the sphere towards the Kyuubi, and time seemed to stop as the fox roared in pain and the chakra that was flowing out of Naruto seemed to reverse and was collapsing in on itself, falling back into Naruto's chest. The blonde jumped back from the now shrinking demon, clutching his arm and breathing heavily. "You insolent brat!" The Kyuubi screamed as it returned to its red form, four tails behind its back and white mouth open, eyes narrowed. It raised its paw, and Sasuke saw that Naruto didn't notice. "Naruto!" Running forward, Sasuke watched in slow motion as the fox slashed at Naruto's chest.

_No! _Sasuke appeared behind Naruto as the blonde toppled back, just as the Kyuubi was shrunk into a red ball that vanished into his stomach. Sasuke caught the blonde just as he was about to hit the roof and slide to the ground, and he saw a pink blur running up the street under the house they were on. "Sasuke," Naruto whispered, then laughed. "I won't die, you idiot.." Sasuke's eyes narrowed, locked on the three bleeding gashes in his chest. Sakura appeared by his side, and other than a soft cry of "Naruto!" she immediately went to work on healing the worst of his wounds. "You better not..." Sasuke murmured.

Sakura looked up from her work then, eyebrow raised. "We have to get him to the hospital," she said grimly. "He's loosing blood at an alarming rate. His chakra veins are almost burnt to crisps..." Sasuke nodded and looked down at the Jinchūriki, who was now unconscious. "I'll take him there Sasuke." The Uchiha glowered at Sakura. She sighed. "This isn't the time Sasuke! I have to operate, and _now_. We don't have the luxury of arguing. Please." Sasuke glanced from the rosette to Naruto, and the blood on his own arms.

"Make sure he lives," he growled, and reluctantly held Naruto's body out for Sakura to take into her own arms. "As if I wouldn't," she retorted, and then she was gone.

Looking around, Sasuke refused to glance at his arms, because he knew what was there. Glancing at Kya, he saw that she was waiting patiently with her snout pointing to the hospital, where Sakura most likely had taken Naruto to. "Okay," he whispered. As he slowly lowered himself to the demolished dirt road however, why did he feel like there was more to how he felt about Naruto that hadn't appeared since Sasuke had left the village, more than six years ago?


	15. Whisper

Whisper

**Kya**

Human fear scents flooded Kya's nose as she followed her Master through collapsed tree shelters and wailing human cubs. The russet wolf growled and paused to scratch at her nose with her paw, trying to bat away the smells. Master Sasuke paused in his two legged stride, turning and fixing his worried black gaze on her own. "Come on Kya," he murmured softly, and Kya could tell he was in distress. _Don't be upset, _she wished she could say, if only she knew how to speak the human language. She would have to settle for ambling forward and brushing her head against his leg.

The raven's hand scratched comfortably between her ears, and she hummed deep in her throat briefly before glancing up at him, telling him that if he wanted to see that blonde cub that he seemed to care about so much, they had to hurry. Master Sasuke nodded, and Kya trotted forward and dipped her snout low to the ground, smelling the strange smells known as "chakra" that littered the ground, and rushed inside her own body while allowing her to dominate in most every battle she got into. Just for fun, she let the energy flow into her paws and she watched her claws extend and grow, digging into the soft earth below her pads.

Growling once, Kya leapt forward and imagined a small rabbit basking in the odd sunlight that glowed despite the fact that it was nighttime, and she heard her Master utter that strange coughing sound that showed amusement behind her. And despite being a wolf, one of the most powerful and sleek wolves that ever lived, as she liked to imagine herself, she still somehow managed to turn clumsily and trip on her own paws, falling with a yelp and her snout digging into the dirt. Growling, Kya pulled her nose out of the hole she had dug, and saw Master Sasuke holding his front paw over his mouth, more strange coughing coming from his throat. Annoyance tugged at the wolf, and she snapped her jaws towards him as she followed Master Sakura's scent towards the clean building where the weak and injured went.

The fear scent blasted Kya's nostrils again, and she scratched at it with her paw while she walked. The emotion was foreign to the wild creature; fear wasn't something a wolf should normally feel. It annoyed Kya to no end that she experienced it, whether it be inside her own body or from smelling it off the humans, and even though she had long since learned to ignore the feeling, the fact that it was still _there, _inside of her mind was unsettling. "Sasuke," the blonde human Master Sasuke called Ino spoke, and the russet wolf looked up to see the green-eyed human walking towards herself and Master Sasuke. "Ino," Sasuke replied, and to anyone that didn't know Sasuke as well as Kya did, he would have sounded perfectly fine.

But Kya knew he wasn't.

"Sakura doesn't want anyone visiting." "Ino-" "Sasuke," Ino said, and Kya heard weariness tug at her voice. The human would have made easy prey at the moment if she was from where Kya had lived, the wolf thought deviously. She dug her now shortened claws into the ground, bored with the humans' conversation, and she imagined what she could have been doing right now if that stupid fox hadn't attacked. A shiver of fear ran through Kya's pelt involuntarily as she remembered the malice that rolled off the creature in waves. She growled softly, and dug harder, narrowing her eyes and imagining ripping that damn fox's throat with her teeth. The thought was comforting, and she snapped her head up to Master Sasuke to find empty air. Looking around, she saw the blonde human leading him towards the large, white building.

_Wait!_ Kya exclaimed in her mind, rushing forward with a bark. And again, she cursed the fact that Sasuke couldn't understand her...but then again, it seemed like he didn't understand anything other than Agony's bittersweet words.

* * *

**Sasuke**

Ino lead Sasuke into the hospital, the doors sliding open with a soft whoosh of air, and then his ears were met with the chaotic screaming of mothers crying out for someone to save their child, men holding their broken wives in their arms and begging for help, siblings clutching each other and waiting to hear if their family was even alive. The noise bore down on Sasuke like rabid animals, and he winced at the magnitude at which each voice cried out to him, pleading, whispering..."Wait here," Ino said. Sasuke looked around and found that he was no longer in the initial waiting room of the hospital, but in a thin, white hallway with grey chairs lining one side, and large metal doors on the other. The blonde's white medic coat flapped behind her back as she pushed open a set of doors, a blinking red light above the entrance, and Sasuke managed to catch a glimpse of Sakura's pink hair, her form hunched over a bloody torso before the doors swung shut again.

Sighing, Sasuke lowered himself into a chair and rested his right elbow on an armrest, his left draped across his lap. Kya whined and curled around his feet, her head facing the surgical room that Ino had entered. Sasuke longed to burst into that room and see Naruto again, but he knew if he tried to do that (again, considering he had one time when Kya had been shot with an arrow) Sakura would be beyond angry with him. "Dammit..." Sasuke whispered and brought his right hand up to run through his disarrayed onyx hair, shutting his eyes briefly only to find that images of Naruto's deathly pale face filled his mind. "I can't do this," Sasuke near shouted, his voice echoing in the empty hallway. He should have never come back to Konoha! It would have saved him so much pain, so much confusion...

He could have found Naruto without coming back, he realized.

It would have been so much easier to search for the blonde if he had stayed a missing-nin, without the restrictions Konoha had placed on the Uchiha. _This rotting village, _Sasuke thought scathingly, and his left hand clenched into a fist over his legs. His eyes traveled to the analog clock hanging above the entrance to the hallway, and he saw that it was already past midnight, almost two in the morning. Fatigue washed over Sasuke gently, his eyelids pulling shut again, and his mind drifted into the soft waves of sleep...

_Sasuke stood in a dark, high vaulted room. Water pooled around his feet and dripped from pipes barely visible in the walls and ceiling, and he shifted uncomfortably as the water poured into his clothing. A dim yellow light shone from ahead, and curiosity overtook the raven as he gazed at it, debating whether he should follow it or not. Eventually, his legs carried him forward, water sloshing around his ankles, and he found himself vanishing into the light, pure yellow overcoming his vision until he found himself standing in front of an enormous cage, a large paper seal over the doors. More water dripped from the ceiling and echoed oddly on the floor, and Sasuke's eyes roamed over the strangely familiar space._

Where am I?_ He thought. _I know this place_...A low growling filled Sasuke's ears as he stepped closer to the cage. One large, bloodshot crimson eye blinked open in the darkness on the other side of the cage, and it narrowed at the sight of the raven. "Uchiha..." A deep voice hissed, and suddenly Sasuke remembered as a bubbling orange paw extended around the bars of the cage. "Why am I in Naruto's head?" The Uchiha asked slowly. He was suspicious; and he wasn't about to take any chances with his safety where the Kyuubi was involved. "How should I know," the demon growled. There was the sound of fur shifting on the ground, and two red eyes glared down on Sasuke's smaller form._

_"Considering this is inside your host's consciousness, I find it pathetic that you don't," Sasuke replied and crossed his arms. "I don't even know where that idiot is right now." "Because you nearly killed him!" Sasuke shouted, and his sharnigan activated as he returned the Kyuubi's glare. A loud chuckle filled the room as the demon laughed. "Your anger amuses me," the Kyuubi said. Annoyance tugged at Sasuke. "I won't let you kill him," he growled. "What makes you think you can stop me?" The demon retorted, and Sasuke heard his claws scrape on the concrete floor. "I promised him."_

_Loud laughter echoed around the room. "As if simple words could mean victory!" The Kyuubi roared, and Sasuke winced at the volume of the demon's voice. "I owe him this much," Sasuke replied. "For what? Stabbing him in the chest with your own hand? For leaving him in search of greater power? For vowing to destroy the very thing he has sworn to protect?" The Kyuubi's great orange face loomed against the darkness of the inside of the cage. "For saying you would kill him?" The fox asked quietly, and a toothy grin split his jaws. Anger and guilt surged inside of Sasuke at the many mistakes he had made suddenly being thrown in his face. "I will save him from you," Sasuke muttered._

_"Like he's some damsel in distress?" The Kyuubi barked out. "No. Because he needs help making a mutt like you roll over," Sasuke growled out. The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed. "You will regret that." Sasuke laughed, maniacally loud, and he uncrossed his arms to stalk forward until he was standing just in front of the large iron bars separating him from the Kyuubi's fearsome jaws. "I'd like to see you try," the Uchiha whispered. The demon growled again. "I assure you, you will." Sasuke let a smirk cross his lips. "I will find Naruto in here," he said. "And I'll stop you from breaking free and destroying the village."_

_"Oh? The great Sasuke Uchiha is suddenly the defender of Konoha?" The Kyuubi said scathingly. "If I recall boy, you once longed for the destruction of this place. It'll just be a calamity in my rampage. Why protect it if you want it gone?" Sasuke glanced at the ground. "For two reasons," he growled. "Naruto...and my brother. I still hate this place. But it's something that Naruto and Itachi held dear. And for that...I'll defend it with my life." "I've hardly known an Uchiha to give something as powerful as revenge up so quickly," the Kyuubi said, slight confusion rippling through his voice. "I'm unpredictable," Sasuke replied, fighting to keep a knowing grin off his lips._

_"Again, I've never seen an Uchiha unpredictable." Sasuke smirked. "If I recall boy...you once said to my useless host, 'I have severed my bonds with you'. Why now? Why decide to switch sides?" The demon asked. Sasuke was silent for a moment as he pondered his answer. "...I don't regret the power I've obtained," he said after a pregnant pause. "But I do regret how I got it. After three years of not knowing if Naruto was alive or dead...it made me think about the mistakes I made." "Ah, the young Uchiha gets sentimental," the Kyuubi hissed sarcastically. "Just because I hate the village does not mean I hate my brother...or Naruto."_

_Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I will stop you Kyuubi. You will pay for what you've done to Naruto. And not just from me. The whole of Konoha will ensure you're punished." Kyuubi barked a laugh again, and this time his paw flashed out from behind the bars and wrapped around Sasuke's waist, pulling the raven inside the cage before he even had time to register what was happening. The Uchiha felt his feet lift from the ground, and he was met with the Kyuubi's red eye at head-level, malice and hatred darkening the fox's irises. "You runts cannot do anything to me," the fox said murderously, and warm, rancid breath stung Sasuke's cheeks. Sasuke glared back into the narrowed eye that stared at him. _

_"I will never forgive you. And I will avenge the three years Naruto has lost because of you." White teeth flashed in Sasuke's vision, and he could see the fearsome jaws moving, but a voice that was not the Kyuubi's was emanating from that terrifying mouth. "Sasuke.."_

_"Sasuke."_

"Sasuke."

Sasuke's real eyes snapped open, staring at the ground with his chin resting on his elbow, left arm still across his lap and Kya asleep quietly on his feet. Leaning up, and feeling his back groan from being released from his stiff position, Sasuke raised his gaze to see Shikamaru standing in front of him, arms crossed and thick bags under his eyes. "You look well," the raven said sarcastically, and extended his right arm to stretch it. "Heh. I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with Naruto...how troublesome," Shikamaru yawned in response and sat down into the chair on Sasuke's right. "You know he's back?" Sasuke asked, but then his mind answered his own question. "Oh. Yeah, the Kyuubi attacked." Shikamaru snorted.

"It doesn't take a genius like me to figure it out," the lazy Jounin said, crossing his legs and flinging an arm over the chair to his own right. "I never believed that bull-crap that Naruto was captured. He would have gone out with a bigger bang than that." Sasuke smirked. "I suppose you're right..." He sighed. "You seem upset," Shikamaru noted. Sasuke was about to give a sarcastic reply when Shikamaru held up his hand. "I don't want to be a therapist," he said drowsily. "I'm just here to check in with Sakura on how Naruto is. But Ino is like Cerberus* when it comes to getting into that room. Won't let anyone in until Sakura says so." Sasuke closed his eyes. "There goes my day then," he muttered. Shikamaru gave him a sideways glance from staring at the opposite door.

"Hm?" He hummed out. "I _will_ sit here until Naruto gets out," Sasuke explained, a hard edge in his tone. "Heh. Normally I'd order you to get outside and help clean up and find survivors in the rubble...but I know you only listen to Kakashi and Tsunade." Sasuke snorted and put his elbow on his knee, balancing his chin on his palm. "You know me too well Shikamaru," he muttered. "You might give Naruto a run for his money." Shikamaru laughed at that one. "I'm just observant Uchiha," the Jounin said. Then he yawned. "I suppose I should go find somewhere to take a nap..." "What happened to figuring out what's wrong with Naruto?" Sasuke asked, turning his head to face Shikamaru. "Tsunade's had me up since Kakashi and Guy came back with the news. I'm tired."

_I was just in a fight with the Kyuubi, _Sasuke thought. "Alright," he said aloud. "Don't want me around Uchiha? I'm hurt," Shikamaru said sarcastically. Then he stood and cracked his neck, closing his eyes and shoving his hands in his pockets. "Oh well. I just came by to check up on the situtation here anyways. I'll see you around Sasuke." And with that, the lazy Jounin was slowly making his way down the hall to the double doors that led into another section of the hospital. Sasuke sighed and shifted his legs, trying not to wake Kya as he did so. "Why was I able to enter Naruto's mind from out here..." He mumbled to himself, and he was content with sitting in the chair outside Naruto's surgery room for well into the afternoon, pondering the explanations as very few people passed him by.

The next time he glanced up at the clock across the hall, Sasuke saw that it was already four, and Kya had long since woken and was entertaining herself by flinging a stray leaf from a potted bush around and pouncing on it, small growls escaping her bared fangs. Sasuke smiled softly at the sight, of seeing Kya actually being playful in this rather dim situation, and his eyes travelled to the light above the double doors in front of him.

It was off.

Standing quickly, Sasuke heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the wall, and moments later Ino was pushing the doors aside, weariness dragging into her gaze as her heels clicked on the lamenated tiles below her feet. "Well?" Sasuke demanded and approached her. She sighed, and for a moment a cold sense of fear clutched Sasuke's heart, but then she stepped aside, allowing a bundle of red white and pink fly into Sasuke's chest. "We did it!" Sakura's voice mumbled, muffled by Sasuke's shirt. Relief swept over Sasuke. "We did it...barely," Sakura continued, removing her face from Sasuke's shirt and gazing up at him with shining eyes. Under normal circumstances, Sasuke would have shoved Sakura away immediately.

But this was definitely not a normal circumstance.

"Good job," he managed to say, and awkwardly (as if Uchihas could even _be_ awkward) wrapped his right arm over her shoulders. Peering over her bubblegum hair, the raven saw a white form being wheeled towards him by two blood covered medical assistants dressed in white scrubs on a metal table. Blonde hair and whiskered cheeks came into view as the two young men came closer. "So he'll be alright now...right?" Sasuke asked as his eyes followed the still figure, who was being trailed closely by Ino as Naruto was wheeled down the hallway, away from Sakura and himself. The rosette sniffed and step back, and Sasuke saw an oddly numb expression in her eyes.

"Well..." Sasuke stepped back, and heard Kya pad towards him, her tongue lolling from the side of her jaw. "What is it Sakura," he demanded, and stepped forward. "He's, for lack of a better term, brain dead," the rosette whispered. "But...that would mean his heart isn't working...right?" Sasuke replied hastily. "That's what's confusing. His body is functioning fine, well, as fine as it can after extensive surgery, and he's not in a one hundred percent coma either. It's like his brain just doesn't want to respond. He's aware of his surroundings, but he just won't talk."

Sasuke looked to the floor, and Kya rubbed against his leg. "That fucking fox," he muttered, and wished there was something he could slam his fist against. "What?" Sakura asked, looking up to the raven in confusion. Quickly, Sasuke explained his "dream" to her, and her emerald gaze slowly narrowed in suspicion. "You said you've seen the Kyuubi like this before," she said slowly. Sasuke sighed. "When you found me in Orochimaru's base, I went inside Naruto's mind with my Sharnigan. The Kyuubi was about to overtake him, and I pushed it back." Sakura nodded, face grim. "Something like that happened last night, but...I didn't go inside his head voluntarily. It's like the Kyuubi pulled me in."

Sakura nodded again. "Perhaps the Kyuubi is keeping Naruto from waking up?" She offered. "...Maybe," Sasuke replied. "He said he had no clue where Naruto was though. And I don't think he was lying either." Both teammates were silent for awhile, lost in their thoughts while Kya sat back on her haunches. "Maybe you can get inside his head again," Sakura asked. "All I need is eye-contact," Sasuke replied. Sakura nodded. "Shikamaru said he was trying to figure out what is wrong with Naruto earlier," the raven continued. "Do you have any idea of what's going on?" Sakura looked away. "During the surgery...we noticed the seal was very faded. Like an old tattoo. The ink was grey and barely noticeable. I'm not an expert on seals, but...I think the seal is breaking. Fast."

Now it was Sasuke's turn to nod. "Apparently Shikamaru has found nothing," the Uchiha muttered. "It's the best theory I have," Sakura replied, and she glanced back at the raven. "So. What now," Sasuke asked. "I think you should give getting into Naruto's head a try," Sakura said, and then she laughed weakly. "As if getting into that bonehead's skull is possible..." Sasuke didn't return the gesture, and instead turned to the doorway Ino and Naruto had vanished into. "Let's go get him then," he muttered, and made his way down the hall.

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

"Wait here," Sakura ordered, and Sasuke sighed as she stepped inside the small hospital room that was currently home to a one Naruto Uzumaki. The Uchiha leaned his head against the wall he was resting his back on, closing his eyes as he listened to Ino and Sakura's muffled voices through the door. He focused on his breathing, making sure to keep calm until the door opened. "Okay Sasuke-kun," Sakura called. "Come in." Sasuke pushed himself off the wall with his foot, ambling forward while Sakura stepped around him to keep Kya outside of the room. As he came nearer to Naruto, his vision seemed to shift until he could only see Naruto's face.

The Uchiha placed his left palm on the railing, putting his right over Naruto's closed eyelids and gently pulling them open to reveal the blonde's cloudy blue eyes. "I hate you.." Sasuke whispered, and he was certain no-one could hear him as he activated his sharnigan and focused on Naruto's chakra. "I hate you for making me so weak." Then Sasuke's vision was sucked through a narrow tube, and he found himself face-first in a pile of blankets.

The sheets smelled oddly like a field of flowers as Sasuke lifted his head to find a teenage Naruto sitting in front of a table, holding a suspiciously familiar orange book in his palm and his gaze focused intently on its content. The blonde's blue eyes flicked up as Sasuke stood and noticed he was in a small bedroom. As the raven slowly walked forward, Naruto grinned. "Hey bastard." he whispered.


	16. Nurse Uchiha

Nurse Uchiha

**Sasuke**

"Hey bastard." Sasuke's eyes stayed on Naruto's face as the blonde stood, gently closing his book and placing it on the table, blue eyes locking with onyx. Naruto tilted his head to the side as if appraising the Uchiha before him. "So this is what three years has done," the blonde noted cheekily. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Where was the bitter sarcasm he had been met with in the outside world? The cold words that struck right into his heart? "Where are we," the raven said stiffly, refusing to take a step forward. Naruto sighed. "I don't have a clue," the Jinchūriki said honestly. "Last thing I remember is saving you from being throttled by the Kyuubi."

"So you don't remember..." Sasuke trailed off as he remembered the moments after the Kyuubi had stabbed the blonde. "Speak up, geez," Naruto complained and crossed his arms. "Never mind," Sasuke replied with a shake of his head, and he glanced around to take in his surroundings. The room the two men stood in was painted white, floor to ceiling, and appeared to be some combination of a bedroom and kitchen; a small bed with black sheets was shoved against the wall to Sasuke's right, and the pile of blankets he had landed in was at the foot of the metal frame. The table Naruto sat at occupied the middle of the space, and to Sasuke's left was a stove, counter, and refrigerator, all the same white as the walls.

"Why are you here anyways, Sasuke?" Naruto asked and sat back down, and a chair materialized in front of him. He gestured towards it as he looked at Sasuke, who sighed and moved forward to sit down. But as he pulled the chair out and moved to sit, the chair vanished and he found himself on the ground. Naruto laughed loudly, and Sasuke glared up at the blonde while silently promising him death as he stood up, his face feeling very warm. "I had to," Naruto gasped out and opened his eyes. His laughter grew louder at whatever he saw in Sasuke's expression. "You have to see your face...it's hilarious!" The blonde chuckled.

Sasuke clenched his fists, but he had to admit, Naruto's glee was lifting his mood enough that he _didn't_ want to kill the Jinchūriki. "Here," Naruto said and this time another chair appeared, and Sasuke sat down without issue in the process. He folded his arms across his chest and found he was dressed in the black shinobi garb that he had been wearing in the outside world, just like the last time he had entered Naruto's mind, so it shouldn't have come as such a shock. Naruto, meanwhile, was dressed in a black, sleeveless vest with a leather chestplate covering his torso, and an orange headband tied around his forehead, the two strands wrapping behind his neck to his black pants. Sasuke smirked at the sight of the familiar obnoxious color.

The Uchiha and Naruto stared at each other for awhile, neither apparently wanting to break the silence first and Sasuke was content with simply taking in the fact that Naruto was here, really here, and not in his dreams like he had been for the past three years. Naruto's blue eyes seemed to be searching for something in Sasuke's expression, the orbs roaming over his skin, and for some reason Sasuke felt his body attempt to lean into the gaze, almost enthralled by Naruto's mesmerizing eyes. _Naruto looks...cute..._He felt his face flush at the thought, and internally cursed himself for the weak display of emotion, and the mere idea in general. The blonde was a guy, for Kami's sake! "So care to explain why you're for all intents and purposes dead to everyone in the outside world?" Sasuke finally asked, taking himself away from the dangerous train of thought. Naruto blinked, as if being broken from a genjutsu.

"Huh?" The blonde finally said, and he arched an eyebrow. Sasuke sighed. "I asked you why you're technically dead to everyone outside of your head," he repeated. "I told you, I have no idea..." Naruto replied, trailing off and glancing down at his book. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I think you do," he whispered. "But you're not telling me." Naruto looked up. "I don't know why I'm here," the blonde elaborated. "But...look, it's complicated." "I'm sure I can handle it," Sasuke said with a smirk and leaned back into his seat. Naruto glared at him halfheartedly. "Just tell me Naruto," Sasuke sighed when the blonde stayed silent. "You tried to kill me last night, you owe me this." Naruto started to cough.

"You nearly killed me! Twice!" The blonde gasped out. "I don't owe you anything, bastard!" Sasuke closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. "I suppose you're right," he said softly and opened his eyes to stare at Naruto, who was glaring back. "But you have to believe me Naruto, I've changed. And I want to know what the hell is wrong with you so I can fix it." Naruto looked away, gazing at the bed blankly. "How am I supposed to tell you when even I don't know Sasuke," the blonde said tiredly. Sasuke arched an eyebrow. The Jinchūriki looked back at the Uchiha. "When I was in that town two years ago, I was looking for a way to kill the Bijuu. Specifically, the Kyuubi," Naruto began.

"When I went in the library after I left you in the street, I found it. But it involves me..." Naruto didn't continue. "Well?" Sasuke prompted. "...It involves me dying as well," Naruto muttered. A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine, and his eyes widened by a fraction at the statement. The blonde looked up at the raven and smiled slightly. "The Kyuubi's chakra is integrated with my own," Naruto explained. "If each side is separated from the other, without anything to support them, each system fails and we both die. Like when Gaara had Shukaku* taken out, it killed him but the demon stayed alive because it was placed inside the Juubi, a separate living being with its own chakra.

"When the Kyuubi was escaping last night, there wasn't much I could do to stop it anyways. But I knew once it had broken out fully, its chakra system would begin to fail. So..." "You wanted to die," Sasuke whispered. Naruto shook his head. "Please. I'm not that desperate to be rid of this thing," he snorted and smiled. "Sasuke, the reason I left Konoha in the first place was because, as a Jinchūriki, I was becoming too dangerous. I couldn't put the village in that kind of danger-" "Tsunade could have helped you!" Sasuke interrupted. "She could have stopped this before the Kyuubi got out of hand!" Naruto stood up, eyes blazing. "My parents _died_ to put the Kyuubi inside of me," he snarled, suddenly angry. "You think Baa-chan was supposed to just make it roll over like an obedient puppy?!"

"I thought you'd have enough sense to talk to someone," Sasuke growled and stood as well, his chair scraping on the floor as he matched Naruto's glare. "And who are you to care about my wellbeing Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "You told me that you were going to destroy Konoha and kill me in the process. You can't possibly expect me to think you're suddenly a tree-hugging, Konoha loving angel!" "I don't expect that!" Sasuke shouted and slammed his palms down on the table, cracking the wood. "I'm asking you to tell me how I can help you! I know, I made mistakes in the past, huge ones..." Sasuke broke off and looked down. But after a moment, he glanced up and locked his eyes with Naruto. "I'm _sorry_, okay?! I'm sorry for hurting you, for hurting Sakura and Kakashi! For everything!" Sasuke took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry that I fucking killed my own brother and ripped his eyes out of his skull, putting them into my head and wanting to destroy Konoha in his name! I'm sorry for sticking my hand into your heart and nearly killing you..." Naruto stared, wide-eyed, as Sasuke felt tears prick his eyes. "I'm sorry that I betrayed you," he continued. "But I told you, I want to _help_ you. But I can't until you _let_ me." Naruto looked away and closed his eyes as Sasuke lowered his gaze to stare at the table. He breathed deeply, trying to make sure he didn't cry as the weight of his confession was lifted from his shoulders like bags of cement. He hadn't apologized for anything to Sakura, to anyone.

Except Naruto. Everything he had done always had to do with Naruto...

"I didn't know how much my revenge ruined everything," the raven whispered when a tense silence filled the room. Naruto sighed, and Sasuke felt the blonde's eyes gaze at his head. "...I forgive you." Sasuke glanced up to see the blonde smiling weakly. "I guess we're even, I mean you left for three years, I left for three years..." The raven smirked and nodded. Then the Jinchūriki's gaze hardened. "Sasuke, at some point the Kyuubi is going to kill me," he whispered. "I learned the hard way that he always gets what he wants..." Naruto shivered. "And right now, he wants to be free."

Sasuke opened his mouth to reply when Naruto continued. "I'll try to wake up now," he said and shifted his footing. "But be ready if the Kyuubi decides to try and make a break for it again." Sasuke nodded and Naruto turned as if to leave the room. "Naruto?" The raven called softly, and the blonde glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah?" Naruto asked. Sasuke managed to smile softly as his vision dimmed, beginning to be sucked through a small tube. "Welcome back."

The next thing Sasuke saw was the underpart of Naruto's chin. His eyes snapped open fully, and he found that half of his body was laying across Naruto's chest, arms wrapped around the other man's and face looking up to see Naruto's _very_ exposed lips. Immediately, Sasuke scanned around for any chakra signatures in the room and breathed a sigh of relief when he found none, and slowly brought himself into a standing position. The railing on the side of Naruto's bed was still there, and so Sasuke was somewhat perplexed at how he managed to lean over the metal bar and rest on Naruto's torso, comfortably mind you, and he placed his palms on the object and stared at Naruto's closed eyes.

Everything was silent, minus the soft sound of Naruto breathing and the muffled noises coming from the window on the wall next to Naruto's bed, and Sasuke gazed outside to see the sun sinking over the horizon and dying the sky a beautiful mixture of orange, red, and blue while the orb blazed a golden glow against the backdrop of wispy white clouds. His eyes stared at the sun for a while, despite the burning feeling he felt in his irises, and he listened to the sounds of repair and construction bustling in the village outside. Looking down, Sasuke's gaze lingered on Naruto's face again, and he felt something warm take hold of his heart as he looked at the oddly peaceful look on the blonde's expression. Unconsciously, Sasuke brought his left hand to his chest, gripping the cloth over his flesh, confused by the emotion that was stirring inside of him.

This was something new.

_What is this? _He thought. The raven wasn't used to feeling so...at peace. He would have said happy if he was even capable of feeling that anymore, after what he had been through in the nineteen years of his existence. But it was just like before he left; whenever he was around Naruto, all the negative emotions Sasuke felt just washed away, like the blonde was his own personal sun and was burning away the rain of sorrow that constantly poured down on the raven's head. Even after he had defected from Konoha, whenever Sasuke saw Naruto his resolve would waver, and something inside of him would tell him to listen to the Jinchūriki and to go home. But he would shove it aside and chalk it up to the fact that he hadn't killed Naruto back in the Valley of the End, that he could have saved himself all that trouble if he had just ended the blonde's existence right then. But he didn't.

He let the blonde live. And Sasuke never simply _let_ anyone live.

Naruto was the only person Sasuke ever felt a driving need to save. Not even when Killer B had nearly exterminated Team Taka single-handedly and took down Sasuke's pride in one fell swoop, not when Sakura had been captured by the bandits when Team 7 was on a mission to retrieve a golden statue. But when Naruto was laying helpless at Haku's mercy, surrounded by blank mirrors and deadly needles. When Naruto was suffering at the Kyuubi's expense. As the Uchiha looked down at Naruto's closed eyes, he could have sworn he felt...

Before he could pinpoint the emotion, Naruto's blue eyes snapped open.

Sasuke didn't move as the blonde's cerulean orbs darted in his head, taking in the blank ceiling above his head and breathing deeply. The blonde blinked once, and he turned his head to the side to look out the window briefly, and then looked at Sasuke. "Oh, hey," the blonde said hoarsely, and coughed while his face scrunched in discomfort. Sasuke snorted. "Something wrong?" He muttered. Naruto glared. "No fucking dip," the blonde replied. "My throat is as dry as Suna." Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned around, finding a clear pitcher of water and a paper cup on a small counter across the room. Walking over to pick it up, Sasuke returned to Naruto's bedside with a cup of water and held it out for Naruto to take. The blonde attempted to reach up to get it, but a tendril of red chakra snaked up his arm and he winced. Sasuke didn't miss the occurrence and leaned forward to wedge his right arm behind Naruto's back.

Pushing forward, Sasuke helped the blonde sit up and he held to paper cup in front of Naruto's lips with his left hand, and Sasuke found that he had to bend very close to Naruto's face in the process. "Open your mouth," he ordered. And if he were any less of an Uchiha (and man), his mind would have been thinking some very inappropriate thoughts at the moment. Naruto glanced at him sideways. "Yes Nurse Uchiha," he muttered sarcastically and did as told, while Sasuke tipped the cup forward slightly so the rim touched Naruto's bottom lip and allowed a trickle of water to pass into the blonde's mouth. _Lucky cup._ Once the Jinchūriki nodded, Sasuke leaned back and slowly lowered Naruto back onto the bed, and he tossed the paper container into a trash can by the door. Sasuke's foot ached, and he glanced around for a chair to sit in.

Finding one very close to himself, the raven pulled it forward and lowered himself into it, his face now level with Naruto's, who was staring past the Uchiha's shoulder at the door. "What's wrong?" Sasuke asked when a flash of discomfort crossed the blonde's face. "...Nothing." Sasuke shook his head, but if Naruto wanted to be stubborn then Sasuke could do nothing to stop him. The two men lapsed into a calm silence, a very rare occurrence even when the two were Genin, and eventually Naruto closed his eyes and the silence was broken by soft snoring. While Sasuke crossed his arms and glanced out the window, lost in thought, a door opened behind him. "Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's voice asked softly. Looking over his shoulder, the raven saw the rosette leaning around the partially opened door, wearing white nurse scrubs and her hair pulled into a ponytail. She stepped further into the room and walked forward, her heels clicking on the hard floor until she was leaning on her leg behind his chair.

"He just fell asleep," Sasuke explained when the rosette looked over at him in confusion after staring at Naruto. "Oh." Sakura stepped around Sasuke and placed her palm gently on Naruto's hand, turning it over and placing her index and middle fingers on his pulse. "He seems to be doing fine," she muttered and put her right hand on his forehead. Then she removed the sheet covering Naruto's chest and undid the blue hospital gown covering the blonde's chest, and the cloth fell away to reveal three long stitches running diagonally from Naruto's left shoulder to his right hip, the skin around the marks very red and abused. Sasuke felt revolted at the sight for some reason, and his gaze travelled to the blonde's navel, where a faded grey tattoo lay exposed on the red flesh. "No sign of infection..." Sakura muttered, and her fingers danced over the stitches.

Unbeknownst to him, jealousy flared inside of Sasuke.

She sighed softly and re-buttoned the front of the gown, and gently replaced the sheet covering Naruto over his chest once more and stepped back. "I don't know if the Kyuubi's regenerative powers are going affect his recovery," Sakura said, answering a question Sasuke wanted to ask but was unwilling to. "If they don't, it'll probably take him easily four months for the wounds to fully close." Sasuke nodded. "Oh. How is Tsunade?" He asked. Sakura's face fell, replaced by an almost lost expression. "...Not good," she murmured and looked at the clipboard in her hand. "Shizune's been in the operation room since she brought Tsunade-sama here, and I just came out for a break. Apparently the Kyuubi's chakra is acting as a poison and is wearing away her vital organs..." Sasuke nodded. "Will she be okay?" He asked. Sakura looked away and didn't answer.

"Sakura," he said softly and stood up, looking down at her. "...We don't know." Sasuke glanced at Naruto's sleeping form. Sakura chuckled weakly. "Why is it that our team is always so messed up," she murmured and followed Sasuke's gaze. "We're following the same paths as our senseis..." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I'm not a creepy bastard that is obsessed with snakes and rebirth," he pointed out icily. Sakura sighed and nodded, just to placate him probably. "And Naruto hopefully isn't going to become a pervert..." She muttered. Sasuke smirked, remembering that the blonde had been reading Come Come Paradise in his mind earlier, but he decided not to bring to subject up. A knock sounded on the door, and a male nurse poked his head inside the room. "Sakura-sama," he said. "Yes?" Sakura replied, turning to face him.

"You're needed in sector c." The rosette nodded. "Stay with Naruto if you want," she said with a wave of her hand as she left the room. "I have to speak with him when I come back." Then the door clicked shut, and Sasuke and Naruto were left alone once more. The raven sat down with a sigh, crossing his legs and leaning his arm on the armrest, gazing past Naruto's hair at the pale cream wall and dozing off, and a curious thought of where Kya was crossed his mind in the process, but he didn't dwell on it as Naruto coughed loudly, the hacking sound grating on Sasuke's ears as his onyx eyes opened and he saw that Naruto was still asleep, eyes scrunched tight as if he were having a nightmare and a thin red veil of chakra covering his head, neck, and arms.

Standing again (he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately), Sasuke picked up the railing that was supposed to be keeping Naruto from falling off the bed and flung it into the corner by the counter where it landed with a clang, and sat down in the space between Naruto and the bed. The blonde appeared to be in a great deal of pain, and Sasuke wondered what he would have thought if someone told him three years ago that he would be the one taking care of Naruto when he was this weak, and he realized he would have simply dismissed the thought without hesitation. _I was such an idiot, _he thought and wrapped his right arm under Naruto's waist, pulling the blonde up so his head was resting in the raven's lap, and Sasuke tilted the blonde's head so he could have better access to the air he so desperately needed. Silently, Sasuke was thankful for the very small medical training Sakura had given him.

Eventually Naruto calmed down, and his breathing evened out once more. Sasuke knew he probably should have put the blonde back to the way he was before, after all, with all the IVs and various tubes taped to the blonde's arms, Sasuke was probably screwing something up, but...He didn't want to leave. So he did what any Uchiha would do when they wanted something. He dug his heels into the metaphorical ground and stayed where he was, holding Naruto and enjoying the oddly warm sensation that was creeping back into his long since frozen heart once more.

* * *

* idk how the hell to spell the One-Tails name lol.


	17. Deception

Deception

**Sakura**

Voices blended into a smooth, bubbling chatter as Sakura sped her way down a crowded hall, her heels growing uncomfortable beneath her feet as she briskly turned a corner and ran down the steps in front of her. And as much as she tried, she just couldn't get Naruto out of her head, dammit! "I can't think about him now," she muttered to herself and completely ignored a young woman who seemed to be asking her a question while she burst through a set of doors labeled "Section C"...Aka, the intensive care wing. The bubbling of words soon turned into chaotic rumbling as Sakura made her way past bloodied patients laying in rooms with open doors, surgeons and nurses in crimson stained scrubs, and worried civilians pacing back and forth while wringing their hands.

The rosette's eyes zeroed in on the set of double doors near the end of the hall, where two ANBU guards were standing stiffly against the wall. As she approached, both shinobi turned their heads towards her. "Name," a voice commanded from the soldier on Sakura's left as she stopped in front of the two, holding her clipboard against her hip. "Sakura Haruno," she replied evenly. The guard on her right held out their hand to her. "Chakra identification." Extending her own palm, Sakura brushed her fingers and allowed some of her chakra to flow into the other's hand. They nodded, and both stepped to the side, giving the rosette access to the double doors behind them. She pushed both doors inward and found herself facing a hysteric Shizune and weeping medical assistants.

"What is going on," Sakura gasped out and jogged forward, putting a hand on Shizune's shoulder and looking past it to see Tsunade's face under the harsh surgical lights. "Shizune," the rosette said and shook the raventte's shoulder. "Shizune, is everything okay?" Shizune glanced up. "Tsunade-sama...she...she..." Sakura's heart plummeted. "Please tell me she's alive..."

* * *

**Naruto**

Naruto heard two voices murmuring quietly amongst each other as he slowly arose to consciousness, his head groggy and his chest hurting as if he had been trampled by a stampede of horses. Trying to make sure he didn't groan from the discomfort, the blonde clenched his jaw and focused his attention on two voices arguing by his bedside. One sounded angry, defiant, and the other was calmer and seemed to be trying to calm down the first person. Each word was still a blur to Naruto's ears, as dim light filtered behind his closed eyelids and he shifted as he would if he were actually asleep. The voices paused for a moment and the Jinchūriki froze in his movements. Then the arguing picked up again and he breathed a silent sigh of relief. Something akin to a hand was pressed lightly against Naruto's forehead, and it was blissfully cool against his seemingly burning forehead.

Restraining the urge to press against the cold object, Naruto wondered why whoever had put their hand on him hadn't taken it away already, but didn't dwell on it because damn, his head was on fire. _Wait a minute. _Naruto knew what was going to happen if he felt like this. This...this nauseous feeling that was creeping into his stomach, the dryness of his throat! His eyes flashed open, panicked and wide as he saw Sasuke's concerned face hovering over him, and past the raven's shoulder stood an annoyed-looking, older Neji, dressed in a Jounin vest and shinobi pants. "Naruto?" Sasuke asked quietly, and Naruto saw that it was the Uchiha's arm that was extending towards his forehead. "Are you ok?" "...I'm hungry," the blonde complained. Sasuke sighed and Naruto saw Neji scowl.

"You had us thinking you were dying," Sasuke growled and lifted his hand, only to smack his palm harshly back against Naruto's forehead. Naruto grimaced. "We don't know if you can even eat anything yet," Neji said softly, and his head nodded towards Naruto's left. The blonde glanced in that direction and saw multiple IV drips on metal stands with tubes running down onto the floor and up the bed, connecting with his arm. "Oh great," the blonde muttered. "We'll continue this later Sasuke," Neji said stiffly and his lavender eyes landed on Naruto. "..I'm happy that you are safe," the brunette murmured and his expression softened, then he swept from the room. Naruto shot a confused glance in Sasuke's direction, and the raven sighed while sitting down on the blonde's bed.

"What was all that about?" Naruto asked. Sasuke seemed to roll his eyes, and Naruto felt more confusion wash over him because, as he last remembered the raven, he had been out to destroy everything and everyone Naruto cared about. But here he was, acting like he had used to before he left. "Petty relationship issues," Sasuke muttered. Despite the fact that Naruto knew he shouldn't be acting like he did when he was sixteen, a grin split his face. "I haven't heard gossip in years," he said and tried to sit up. Sasuke shot a glare at him, and the blonde chuckled darkly. "It was a joke," he defended. "I'm dying in laughter," Sasuke replied and looked away. Naruto followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at the door. "C'mon, tell me," Naruto said and managed to poke at Sasuke's arm. The raven sighed. "Are you going to be stubborn and not shut up until I tell you?" He asked without looking at Naruto.

"Probably," Naruto replied with a hint of laughter in his voice. "You're the same idiot you always were..." Sasuke muttered. "Hey, just because a crazed demon is trying to kill me doesn't mean I can't have fun." Sasuke's head whipped back, sharnigan (his Mangekyou Sharnigan, mind you) blazing in his eyes as he glared at Naruto. "Do not even joke about that," the raven hissed, and for the first time in years, Naruto feared for his physical wellbeing. "You told me yourself that you are dying and you think it's funny? Would everyone else think the same thing? I sure as hell don't." Naruto sighed. "...Okay, okay. Sorry. I just can't handle being serious, yeah? You know it's not my forte," he replied and scowled. The sharnigan faded from Sasuke's eyes, but the hardness of his anger didn't. "Neji, Sakura, and Shikamaru are the only ones who know that you are truely back," Sasuke muttered.

"And?" Naruto asked. "...Nothing. You wouldn't understand." That got on Naruto's nerves. "I wouldn't understand?" He asked quietly. Dangerously. "Me? That's a fucking joke Sasuke. If they're the only ones who know about me then why shouldn't I know how that applies to anything! Since when did you control what I know-" Naruto cut off as he felt the Kyuubi flare up inside of him, the fox's chakra probably already changing his physical appearence as he felt the energy course through his chakra veins. Sasuke was watching the blonde impassively as he shut his eyes, focusing on his breathing and mentally pushing back the gigantic demon into his cage, swinging the doors shut and allowing the chakra to ebb from his body. "...You are so lucky the Kyuubi doesn't like it when I'm angry," Naruto growled and opened his eyes.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow and Naruto sighed, an uncomfortable silence falling over them. "...So, you and Neji," the blonde said awkwardly. "You just don't give up..." Sasuke muttered. "You should know that better than anyone," Naruto said cheekily, smiling evilly when Sasuke shot him yet another sharnigan filled glare. Then the raven shook his head. "Fine. Neji and TenTen, and most of your friends are trying to get Sakura and I together," Sasuke muttered. Naruto's eyes widened. Oh, he was going to have a field day with this! "Seriously? Don't they know you're an ice cold bastard who hates every living thing?" Naruto asked. "Ha ha," Sasuke muttered sarcastically. "That attempt by Neji was to get me to take Sakura on a double date with himself and TenTen." Naruto arched an eyebrow. "And you were arguing in my hospital room because...?" "Because I've been here since you were put in here," Sasuke replied.

That response brought up more questions than it answered.

"Don't you have better things to do than wait around for me...?" Naruto asked slowly. "Apparently not," Sasuke replied. "..." Naruto looked towards the ground. "And...how long have you been here?" He asked. "Three days." Naruto's eyes shot up to stare at Sasuke again. "Okay, seriously, who the fuck are you and what did you do with Sasuke," the blonde ground out. Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "The Sasuke I knew three years ago wouldn't be doing this," the blonde said. "The Naruto I knew wouldn't have so many qualms about me giving two shits about him," Sasuke replied evenly. "Why don't you want revenge on the village anymore?!" Naruto asked. Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned his back over Naruto's legs to rest his head on the wall. "Trust me, if I could I would blow this place to bits," the raven muttered and stared at the ceiling.

"Then what's stopping you," Naruto said defiantly. Sasuke was silent for a moment, then he glanced down at Naruto quickly before returning his eyes to the ceiling. "My brother...and you." Naruto's eyes widened. "Heh...How am _I_ stopping you," the blonde laughed out, eyes wide with disbelief. "How many times do I have to repeat myself..." Sasuke sighed out and shut his eyes. "I made a huge mistake. I've done so many horrible things I wonder if I've gone insane, Naruto. But...I realized my brother killed off my clan, my family, to save this rotten place. And you, you went through hell for these villagers just to protect them. To kill them off would be a betrayal to my brother...and to you, that I could never make up..." Sasuke met Naruto's stare, onyx eyes meeting cerulean. "...Of course I want to burn this place to the ground," the raven growled. "But I won't. So you better be damn grateful for my hesitation."

Naruto continued to stare at Sasuke while the Uchiha watched him back. "Maybe I should have just stayed away..." Naruto muttered. Sasuke's fist flashed out and grasped the front of Naruto's hospital gown, and the blonde found himself not even five inches from the raven's face as Sasuke leaned down, teeth bared in a snarl. "If you had truly died," Sasuke whispered, eyes narrowing. "At anyone's hand but mine, I would have never forgiven you." "And since when was I your property," Naruto hissed back. "You think I'm as heartless and cold as I made myself out to be when we were younger Naruto, but I'm not. Whether you like it or not, whether _I_ like it or not, I care about you. I will never watch my comrades fall again."

Naruto's mind flashed back to the fight against Gaara during the Chūnin exams, and what Sasuke had told Naruto. "I never expected you to come back," Naruto growled. "...I came back because I thought you were dead," Sasuke murmured. "I couldn't take it. I'd already lost Itachi, my family...I couldn't bear the thought of you being gone too. You fucking idiot..." Sasuke's eyelids flickered, and his head slumped forward into the hollow of Naruto's neck, his hand relaxing around the front of Naruto's shirt. Naruto's eyes stared past Sasuke's head as the raven slept, his mind racing with the information Sasuke had given him regarding why he had come back to Konoha.

_Looks like I did have to do something dramatic in order for him to come back, _Naruto thought scathingly. Sasuke shifted, and his full body was suddenly curled around Naruto's, the pressure lightest on his chest where it ached the most. Eyes flicking to the ceiling, Naruto tried to take his mind off the subject of the Kyuubi, but pretty much any train of thought he had tied in with the demon...and with Sasuke. The raven's breath brushed lightly against Naruto's skin, and his obsidian hair moved under the blonde's nose. For some reason, Naruto found that it almost smelled like strawberries. _Fucking prick, _Naruto thought cheekily, remembering the obscene names he would curse Sasuke with when they were together on Team 7. Breathing deeply, Naruto continued to let his mind wander aimlessly, but his body didn't want to sleep. Sasuke shifted again, and Naruto suddenly found himself the teddy bear of the Uchiha.

Scowling, Naruto tried to wiggle his way out, since Sasuke had moved forward so Naruto's face was pressed against the raven's black-covered chest and his head was resting under Sasuke's chin, his arms shifted just enough so they were trapped between the blonde and Sasuke. Dammit, since when was Sasuke so fucking clingy! But Naruto had to admit, this _was_ pretty comfortable, minus the dull ache in his chest...his eyes flicked shut, and he was about to smile when his stomach growled, and then he was staring into Sasuke's chest again.

_Dammit! I never got anything to eat!_

* * *

**Sasuke**

Something warm was curled into Sasuke's chest. He smiled, thinking it was Kya coming into his bedroom since it was too cold outside, and wrapped his arms slightly tighter around the cloth covered body. Then his onyx eyes snapped open in shock. Kya didn't wear clothes. Looking down, Sasuke found himself met with a faceful of blonde hair, and he instantly remembered where he was and who was with him. Leaning back, Sasuke looked down to see his arms wrapped around Naruto's waist, keeping the blonde securely against his chest and his own legs wrapped around the shorter man's. _Fuck, _Sasuke cursed and looked down to see Naruto's annoyed blue eyes staring back at him. "Sleeping Beauty awakes," the blonde said sarcastically. Sasuke felt his face flush. "Naruto, I-" "Stuff it," Naruto muttered.

"I'll get off," Sasuke replied quickly and moved to get out when Naruto put a hand on his back. "Stay." Sasuke was about to reply that he _really_ didn't want to be laying in a hospital bed with his best friend/rival/he didn't even know what when Naruto opened his mouth. "The Kyuubi is staying down because you're not going away," the blonde murmured. Sasuke arched an eyebrow as he stared down at the Jinchūriki. "He thinks you're going to use your sharnigan again if he tries to get out," Naruto elaborated. "Ah. So...this is...okay?" Sasuke asked. "I guess. Who would've thought you were such a clingy person," Naruto snickered. Sasuke's face flushed again, and he looked away. "Shut up..." "I'm still hungry," Naruto muttered. Sasuke rolled his eyes and looked at the analog clock on the wall. It had officially been four days since he had been outside of this hospital room.

"Sakura still isn't back..." He murmured to himself. "What?" Naruto asked. "Nothing. You should sleep," Sasuke noted. "I've been sleeping for three days, in case you didn't notice. I think I'm good," Naruto muttered. "Still stubborn," Sasuke noted under his breath and shifted his right arm, feeling it going to sleep under his and Naruto's combined weight. "So when can I leave anyway?" Naruto asked after awhile. "...Sakura said your recovery time is about four months, if the Kyuubi doesn't heal you," Sasuke replied without looking at the blonde. "Dammit," Naruto cursed. Sasuke smirked at the blonde's annoyance, but his enjoyment wasn't complete, since something was still nagging his thoughts. Why had he fallen asleep _on_ Naruto? Why not pull a classic "Sasuke" and cut off any human contact whatsoever? And...

Why did he actually enjoy being with Naruto like this? And why did the blonde seem to reciprocate the action?

"Naruto-" Sasuke said, but was cut off by a door blasting open behind himself and Naruto. The Jinchūriki yelped and Sasuke scrambled back onto his feet just as Sakura raised her head to stare at the raven with wide eyes. "Sakura...?" Sasuke asked tentatively. "...Naruto," she breathed out in response, completely ignoring him, and Sasuke saw her emerald eyes fixated on the blonde. Sasuke felt out of place as the two stared at each other, seemingly speaking with their eyes while he stood out like a beacon in a moonless night. Stepping back, Sasuke allowed Sakura to approach the blonde in the hospital bed, and for some reason she was acting like she hadn't seen Naruto yet despite saving his life and coming into the room earlier to check on him. The kunochi paused once she reached the side of the bed, and Naruto shifted uncomfortably.

Sasuke watched the proceedings with anxious eyes, because for some reason, he felt nervous with Sakura so close to the blonde. He didn't know why; he trusted the rosette with his life and Kya's, but this moment felt so...

Uneasy. Sakura's eyes were too sharp, too bright for a reunion with a friend...

Stiffening, Sasuke watched as Sakura bent down and placed her palm on Naruto's wrist, again checking his pulse and adjusting some of the wires connected to the blonde's arm. But, there it was again! Her movements were just slightly too analyzing for a nurse checking a patient. It was almost as if she were a lioness stalking her prey, waiting for the right moment to strike. "Sakura..." Sasuke said lowly, and the rosette glanced sideways at him and, as she did, the predatory gleam disappeared. "Yes Sasuke-kun?" She asked. "...Is he ok?" Sakura nodded. "Yes. His pulse seems normal and he doesn't have a temperature..." She said this as she placed her right hand on Naruto's forehead, who was watching Sasuke with confused eyes. The raven kept his own gaze trained on Sakura though.

"...Sakura," Naruto called softly, and the kunochi turned her attention back to Naruto. "Yes?" Naruto looked out the window. "Do you remember that time when we went on that date to see the fireworks?" He asked. Sasuke stiffened. They went on a date once? Sakura never mentioned that...The rosette nodded. "How could I forget?" She replied. Naruto smiled and looked back at her. "Because it never happened," he said sadly, and then his fist connected with the rosette's abdomen in a wicked punch and she was sent flying across the room, landing on the opposite wall with a muffled boom, denting the dry wall as she slid to the ground. But then her pink hair and white scrubs melted away to reveal pasty cream skin and yellow eyes. "Zetsu," Sasuke breathed out as Naruto adjusted his position in the bed.

"Damn. I thought I lost those things before I came here," the blonde muttered as he moved. Sasuke turned his wide-eyed stare back to Naruto. "They're after you?" He asked. "That masked Madara guy, actually," Naruto corrected. Sasuke shivered as he remembered his two apparently living clansmen. "Actually...he's not the real Madara," he muttered. "His real name is Obito Uchiha...Madara was revived with Edo Tensei during the war." Naruto looked to the floor. "Kakashi's old friend Obito?" he asked. Sasuke nodded. "But...didn't he die or something?" Naruto murmured. Sasuke shook his head. "I see..." Sasuke glanced at the zetsu body on the floor, yellow eyes glazed over and staring past Naruto's sheet-covered feet at the wall.

Then the raven heard hurried footsteps approaching from outside the door, and another Sakura burst inside, panting and sweating. "Sasuke-kun," she gasped out when she saw him. Then her eyes fell on the Zetsu. "What is a Zetsu doing here!" She exclaimed and glanced towards Naruto. "Apparently Madara and Obito are still after the Bijuu," Sasuke explained. Sakura narrowed her eyes. "I'll have to let the ANBU know there's still some Zetsu in the region...but I came to let you know that we barely managed to keep Tsunade-sama in a stable condition," she replied happily. Sasuke allowed a small smile to cross his lips. "That's great," he murmured. "She was going to die?" Naruto asked quietly from behind Sakura. She turned, and again Sasuke felt out of place as the kunochi looked at the blonde.

"...Possibly," Sakura whispered, and Naruto's sky blue eyes darkened. Worried, Sasuke took a step forward and stopped at Sakura's left shoulder. "It wasn't your fault," he offered. Naruto refused to meet his eyes as the Uchiha stared at his face. "...Naruto, what's the matter?" Sakura asked and bent down so she was face level with the blonde. Naruto's fists clenched and he grit his teeth, and Sasuke saw a brief flash of crimson in the cerulean of his eyes. "Naruto, calm down," he warned as the whisker scars on Naruto's cheeks elongated. The Jinchūriki sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, shoulders shivering and his eyelids covered by his long blonde bangs. "I left so this sort of thing wouldn't happen..." He finally whipsered. Sakura glanced up at Sasuke, shock apparent in her eyes. "You left on purpose?" She asked, not looking away from the raven.

"Then when I come back for help, this fucking demon tries to kill off everything I care about..." Naruto continued softly as if he hadn't heard the rosette. "Naruto," Sakura began, voice worried, and Sasuke too felt concern as Naruto's fists clenched tight around the bedsheets. "Just when things were going fine...I was going to learn how to control this thing...I was...I was..." Naruto paused. Then his head shot up and his pupils were crimson red once more, elongated teeth bared in a snarl. "I was so close to protecting everything!" The blonde shouted, and Sakura staggered back into Sasuke's chest in fear. "Na-Naruto," the rosette stammered and Sasuke gently pushed her behind himself as he activated his sharnigan.

"Naruto, look at me," he commanded, and Naruto's feral eyes landed on his own while a stream of curses left the blonde's mouth. "I was training to bring your sorry ass back you bastard how could you do this to me!" Naruto screamed, and Sasuke focused on pulling the blonde's chakra into a genjutsu but damn, with the Kyuubi influencing Naruto's behavior, it was freaking hard! "Naruto..." Sasuke breathed out, and Naruto paused in his ranting. Then his blood red eyes clouded over and he slumped back into his bed, his eyelids flickering. But the whisker scars on his cheeks didn't fade away like the should have. "Damn," Sasuke muttered, and tried focusing on sending Naruto somewhere familiar to the blonde, except...

He had no fucking clue what was familiar to the blonde.

Ichiraku's was the first idea that came to the raven's mind, but in order for the genjutsu to be convincing enough Sasuke had to make Naruto think it wasn't a genjutsu, and thus make it seem like Naruto was actually there. More places in Konoha came up, but Sasuke knew Naruto was smart enough to figure out he was in a genjutsu just by that thought alone. Turning to Sakura, he grabbed her shoulders roughly, and she looked up at him with wide green eyes. "Where is somewhere familiar to Naruto," he said quickly. He had very little time to work with. "...Uh..." Sakura's eyes filled with confusion. "Sakura, please think. Naruto has the power to break out of my genjutsu and the Kyuubi will make sure he will," Sasuke pleaded. "I know you haven't seen him for three years, but please-"

"Use a memory from Team 7," Sakura interrupted. "Naruto won't try to get out of that." Sasuke nodded and closed his eyes, planting the genjutsu in Naruto's head and ensuring the blonde would stay there until Sasuke said otherwise. Sighing, Sasuke opened his eyes and glanced back at the blonde, thankful to see the scars on the Jinchūriki's cheeks were short and thin once more. "What're we going to do," Sakura whispered and appeared at Sasuke's side. The raven crossed his arms as he looked down at the unconscious blonde. "...Get everyone together for dinner tonight," he murmured. Sakura looked up at him. "You make it sound like a formal meeting," she replied. Sasuke smirked. "Mainly, it's to get Neji off my back about going out tonight...but I also think everyone deserves to know that Naruto is back."

* * *

Guys help, I'm losing inspiration!

Like seriously, I've hit a wall as far as this story goes. I'm spending hours on end staring at my computer/ipad just thinking about this, and I feel I'm starting to bring the characters, well, out of character! My chapters, I think, are at a lesser quality than they should be ;A; I want to keep writing, but for both Summer and Winter and Crimson Eyes I've just come to a roadblock...and I'm just going through a lot in my personal life at the moment, and I need to cope with that. Gah, and it sucks because I'm currently submitting this fanfiction along with an original story of mine into a contest going on at my school and I actually want to put some good work in! Do you feel like my updates are, like, losing touch?

I want to continue this story, and I have a ton of ideas for OTHER stories and stuff, so I'm not quitting or anything, but it's just slowly becoming harder to come up with ideas and keep to the plot...but yeah, see you all later.


	18. Sasuke's Genjutsu

Sasuke's Genjutsu

**Sasuke**

Why did everyone insist that Sasuke and Sakura were the "perfect couple"? Sasuke didn't understand. Ino had even come up with a "shipping" name for them! What the hell is a shipping name? SasuSaku...to Sasuke, it sounded like some kind of mental illness someone would have. And as he looked around the circle of unexpected friends, when each of which would occasionally glance over to see of Sakura and Sasuke were exchanging saliva, the raven knew something definitely was not screwed in right in their heads. "Hey," Sakura whispered from Sasuke's left. "Hn." He glanced over at her to see Kya splayed over the rosette's lap, a plate of home cooked meats and vegetables made by the Inuzuka Clan with rations that had been passed out earlier that day balanced carefully on the wolf's torso.

"You look like you'd rather be dying in Wind Country than eating with us," Sakura replied and smacked the raven's arm with her hand. Scowling, Sasuke looked down at his barely touched food in his lap, while everyone else was busy eating and talking around the campfire they had made out of spare bits of wood they had gathered, and were currently sitting on blankets by the main village gates. "Mmm...I still don't get why we didn't go to a restaurant," Choji mumbled around a mouthful of steak, and Shikamaru sighed while picking at his food with a chopstick. "Because most restaurants are closed right now," the Jounin replied lazily. Then he cast Sasuke a quick glance and he nodded towards the raven. "Enjoying your food Uchiha?" Shikamaru drawled. "It's delicious," Sasuke replied simply as he took a bite out of a dumpling. And he had to admit, what little he had consumed was very good.

"Hey Sasuke," Kiba whispered from the Uchiha's right. "Hm," he grunted and glanced over. "When're you gonna make the move on Sakura..?" Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch, and he noticed that Sakura suddenly stood up and in the process dumped Kya onto her pink and white checkered blanket into a pile of grey and russet fur. "Alright everyone, listen up," the rosette called, annoyance apparent in her voice. The murmured chatter that was floating around the circle of people quieted, and Sakura shut her eyes for a few moments. "Okay. Now, I know all of you have been very...persistent on a subject," the rosette began. _I know where this is going..._Sasuke thought with a yawn and leaned back onto his elbows. "And I appreciate all of you trying to make Sasuke-kun and I happy, but," she paused and sighed, "Look everyone. Sasuke-kun and I are just friends. We don't like each other that way! So please just get off our backs about it."

Silence reigned for a few moments as Sasuke looked around. "...I believe we owe them an apology," Neji murmured from his place next to TenTen and Hinata. His pale lavender eyes landed on Sasuke's onyx. "I am sorry about pushing you too far Sasuke," the Hyuuga murmured, expression apologetic as Sasuke nodded. Murmured "sorry"'s filled the air, and then Ino began to speak. "We just thought you guys, you know, deserved to be happy after...well..." Sakura nodded. "I don't want to turn this into a serious meeting or anything," the rosette said. She glanced down at Sasuke before returning her eyes to looking at the group. "But we can find our own happiness." Everyone nodded, and Sakura sat back down while picking up her discarded plate of food. "Good job," he leaned over and whispered to her. "Thanks," she replied. Then she looked at him, emerald eyes serious.

"We're going to have to tell them soon," she murmured, and Sasuke scowled. "I thought you said you didn't want this to be serious," he said quietly. "Hey, you're the one who wanted to get them together, just to tell them." Sasuke scoffed at that, then realized he _had_ suggested this in order to tell everyone Naruto was alive. "Dammit," he muttered and poked at his now cold food once more. "What?" Kiba asked around a mouthful of white fur as Akamaru pounced on him. "Nothing..." Sasuke bit into a steamed carrot and grimaced at the cold texture that clashed with the delicious taste. The raven was soon lost in his thoughts while everyone conversed happily, munching away quietly and thinking about ways to bring up the rather unexpected subject.

Then he realized something. Maybe it was too early to tell everyone that Naruto was alive..."Sakura," he murmured over to his teammate, who was busy conversing with Lee and Sai. "What," she replied and looked over her shoulder. "I need to talk to you," Sasuke replied and stood, stepping into the shadows behind the campfire and waiting for Sakura to join him. The kunochi sighed and told the two men she had been speaking with she would be right back, and then ambled towards him. "I think it's too early to tell them," he whispered once she came within earshot. "You wanted to do this so you could," Sakura replied and crossed her arms. Sasuke looked away. "Naruto is just starting to recover from surgery, right? Isn't it too soon to put that strain on him?" He asked. "...Not really," Sakura said. "He hasn't started medication or therapy. The surgery itself isn't the issue when it comes to his stress levels Sasuke-kun."

"...Well, there is still the issue of the Kyuubi," Sasuke murmured. Sakura's eyes darkened, and she nodded in agreement. "But, why all of a sudden decide to keep it a secret?" She asked. "Sasuke-kun, you just went from one extreme to the other. It doesn't make sense..." Sasuke nodded and leaned against a wall that was conveniently behind his back. "I don't want to Kyuubi acting up and hurting him again," he said, eyes on the ground. "And everyone knowing Naruto is alive will cause the Kyuubi to stir?" "If someone says the wrong thing, yes," Sasuke muttered. "It's like calling Choji fat." Sakura glanced over her shoulder at the group huddled around the fire. "So, if we won't tell them now, and Ino, Shikamaru, and Neji know, when will we?" She asked. "We have to make sure they don't talk either." "I know," Sasuke said tensely. "I need you to handle that. And I'm not sure when we can tell them...but we'll know, when Naruto is ready."

"...Okay," Sakura said. Then she turned and made her way back to the main group, while Sasuke remained in the darkness that surrounded the outskirts the campfire, crossing his arms and leaning his back on the wall behind himself. His onyx eyes roamed over the circle of people in front of him, and when they landed on Neji the brunette glanced up and met his gaze. Lavender eyes narrowing slightly, the Hyuuga appeared to excuse himself and stood gracefully, ponytail swinging as he made his way past his cousin, Kiba, and Ino to stand in front of Sasuke. "Something is troubling you," Neji noted as he made his way over. Sasuke met the brunette's gaze, but didn't respond to the statement. "...Is it Naruto?" _How did he come to that conclusion so fast..._Sasuke thought, but didn't give any inclination that Neji was correct. Neji sighed. "If you don't want me to speak of his reappearance, fine, but please don't keep him hidden for long." "How did you guess that Naruto was bothering me?" Sasuke asked abruptly, cutting off Neji as he was continuing his speech.

Neji looked away for a moment. "Most of the issues you have, Sasuke, tend to revolve around him," the brunette murmured. "I've noticed something in your emotions when the mere subject of Naruto comes up. You seem...guilty. Like you have wronged him. Which you have..." Now it was Sasuke's turn to look away. "And...something else," Neji continued. The raven raised his stare to meet Neji's lavender eyes. "What do you mean," Sasuke muttered and pushed forward so he was standing straight in front of the Hyuuga. "It's something I've seen since you two were on Team 7," Neji replied. "You two...I don't know what it was. But I've never seen anything like it, and I have seen a lot. It's almost like you two are...opposite halves of a whole." Sasuke blinked, surprise rending speech useless in his confusion.

The wind stirred Sasuke and Neji's hair as the bonfire slowly died down behind the Hyuuga, silence falling between the two. "...That sounds ridiculous," the Uchiha finally muttered. "Sasuke, whatever is going on inside of you concerning Naruto, particularly the guilt...I suggest you forgive yourself for it as soon as you can." "Why?" Neji blinked. "Because I highly doubt Naruto is willing to wait for you anymore," the brunette explained. Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes. "Neji...you understand revenge, and hatred, better than most of us here tonight," the Uchiha murmured. "You know how consuming that is, the bitterness...and how difficult it was to break free of it. But we have something in common, something more than our sight." Sasuke opened his eyes and met Neji's confused expression.

"Naruto saved both of us," he continued, "He taught you that you _can_ control your fate and your destiny, and he taught me that revenge _isn't_ the answer. No matter how much we want to hate something, it isn't right." "...And where is this going, exactly," Neji said, uncertainty riddling his tone. "...Naruto may not be willing to wait for me any longer. He waited almost seven years for me to acknowledge him, to see him. He endured watching me fall into the darkness of my own creation...and so I will wait until the day the world ends if it means he can forgive the mistakes I made," Sasuke whispered. Neji smirked. "There's that emotion again," he noted and turned, beckoning for Sasuke to follow him.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow but didn't comment, instead choosing to follow the Hyuuga to the dying campfire, where their friends where slowly falling asleep amidst the destruction caused by the Kyuubi and the chaos that was enveloping their lives.

* * *

**Madara**

"...It is time," Obito murmured from Madara's right. The elder Uchiha nodded once, his long black hair swishing behind his back as he stood, uncrossing his arms and glancing back at the army behind them. "It's a shame Itachi ended the Edo Tensei," the raven commented quietly to his companion. "It would have been much easier to revive all of them in full." Obito nodded. "We'll have make do with what we have," the younger replied. Madara turned fully to face the Zetsu army arranged behind them, taking in the large underground cavern they inhabited as he did so, and finally his eyes rested on the one Edo Tensei he and Obito had managed to revive. "It took a long time to get that one's DNA," Madara commented. Obito did not turn, but Madara heard a grunt of affirmation.

"The jutsu itself is not that difficult," Obito said. Madara nodded, his eyes still on the dead man's hitai-ate. "Considering the Second Hokage devised it, I find that easy to believe," the raven said. Obito snorted at the obvious insult to the Second. "The Five Nations will not be able to withstand this," Madara murmured. Since the Kyuubi was currently unavailable, Madara would have to make due with simply taking over the world until the Jinchūriki decided to show his face. "It's sad I had to reunite with my sensei like this," Obito replied and stepped forward, the Zetsu army following. Madara smirked and turned, his gaze leaving Minato Namikaze's face as he prepared to secure the Five Shinobi Nations in his grasp.

* * *

**Naruto**

Darkness enveloped Naruto's eyes, filling his lungs and suffocating him, burning his throat like molten lead had been poured down his mouth. The blonde opened his mouth to cry out, but no sound escaped his lips as a sudden bright light exploded across his vision, causing him to raise his hands to shield his eyes from the glare, a solid...something pressing against his back as he apparently landed. "...Watch it!" A harsh voice shouted dimly, and to Naruto's ears it was if whoever it had been was talking to him through a pool of muddy water. He tried to move his limbs to get away from whoever was so angry, but his arms and legs felt like they were being dragged down by bags of cement.

Something shoved him roughly, and Naruto suddenly remembered how to walk and he dug his heels into the apparently soft ground roughly in response to the treatment. His eyes snapped open to reveal a dusty clearing, three wooden posts in the center and...Kakashi crouching on the middle pole with his orange book in hand? Naruto blinked, sure he was imagining this, but nope, there Kakashi was, acting carefree and lazy...just like when..."...Geez Naruto, don't walk into Sasuke-kun like that!" Naruto's eyes widened and he turned to face a younger Sakura, her hair backlength and a well familiar annoyed look dancing in her eyes as she gripped a thirteen year old Sasuke's blue-clothed shoulder, his obsidian eyes hard with discontent as he glared at Naruto. "Huh...?" Naruto looked down and saw the over-sized orange jacket with the white collar that he had worn when he was younger. Sasuke snorted. "Just because training was hard for you doesn't give you free rein to collapse wherever you please," the raven said disdainfully.

Naruto scowled despite himself. How could he have missed the bitterness Sasuke had possessed before he left? "Shut up," the blonde growled. He turned again and saw the red bridge that led to Team 7's training grounds and stalked towards it, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets while confusion swept through him. The last thing he remembered was a nineteen year old Sasuke's sharnigan staring into his enraged eyes, the raven's voice soothing the Kyuubi's vicious rage and sending Naruto spiraling into blackness. "Dammit...I need to find a way out of here," Naruto muttered as his blue sandaled feet touched the dirt road that led into Konoha once more, glancing over his shoulder to see Sasuke and Sakura staring after him in confusion.

_This genjutsu has to be a memory of some sort...so if I act completely different maybe that will break it, _Naruto thought. Then he cursed aloud as he realized something. _Sasuke isn't so stupid as to not think of that...this will just keep going on until he sees fit to end it. Either that or I find something that will pull me out of here. _He looked up from staring at the ground to find himself emmersed in a crowd of shoppers that were bustling around small shops and tents as he made his way past the taller bodies, slipping his way through until he accidently ran into a middle-aged woman and caused her to drop her groceries. "Ah, let me help-" Naruto cut off as a palm connected with his cheek. Staggering back, he held the wounded part of his face as the same woman he had offered to help glared at him while collecting her items. "Don't touch me, monster," she hissed and stood, hurriedly gathering the plastic bags in her arms and ambling off.

Naruto sighed and shut his eyes. "Of course. Sasuke doesn't know what the villagers were like after they stopped hating me," he muttered and continued forward, cheek stinging as he did so. He glared at the afternoon sun, estimating it was around five in the evening. The blonde's eyes widened, which hurt actually considering the brightness of the cloudless day, as he recalled that Team 7 usually went out for dinner after training...at five. _Am I supposed to be keeping up appearances? _Naruto thought worriedly while his apartment complex came into view. "...Hey! Dobe!" _Fuck. _Naruto continued to walk as if he hadn't heard Sasuke's not-quite-deep voice behind him, head bowed like he was in deep thought. And he was, considering this was the damn bastard's genjutsu and Naruto wanted to figure out a way to get the fuck out. A hand clasped his shoulder and Naruto turned, eyes narrowed.

Naruto didn't like it when people touched him without his permission.

Sasuke's emotionless onyx eyes stared into Naruto's own cerulean, where barely concealed rage brewed deep in his mind. "What happened after training today?" The Uchiha asked as he took his hand off Naruto's arm. Naruto snorted. "Like you give two shits," he muttered and turned to go back to "his" apartment and figure things out. Because, Naruto had to admit, this genjutsu was pretty good. He wondered if it only constrained him to the village absentmindedly as Sasuke stepped in front of him, arms crossed. "Your negative attitude will bring down the team, and in turn, me," Sasuke said in monotone. "Says the frickin' Ice Prince," Naruto replied. Sasuke scowled. "Did something happen?" The Uchiha asked and stepped with Naruto as the blonde made to leave. Was the damn bastard going to follow Naruto home?! "Not your problem, teme," Naruto growled out and tacked on the "teme" for old time's sake.

"It is when it involves you," Sasuke muttered. _Huh? _"What'd you mean by that?" Naruto asked, and despite his better judgement turned his head to look at the Uchiha while they walked. Sasuke looked away, seeming to be also taken aback by his statement. "N-nothing," the raven grit out past clenched teeth. Naruto glanced up at his old apartment complex, a smirk rising to his features. If the basis of this genjutsu was coming from Sasuke's _memory_, then if he could get this fake one to talk, he could know what the real one was feeling in this time period..."C'mon, you have to know," Naruto teased and poked his shoulder into Sasuke's arm. "I don't, okay?" Sasuke said and looked at Naruto with an odd desperation in his eyes. Naruto shuffled to the left slightly, away from the distraught raven. "O...kay?" He said uncertainly. The Uchiha cast the blonde a side-ways glance, then sighed. "Look, you were acting strange today," Sasuke mumbled as the two reached the door of Naruto's apartment.

"I'm _fine_, don't get your panties in a knot," Naruto replied and reached into his jacket pocket for his apartment key, fingers fumbling around various stray gum wrappers, paper clips, and the occasional shruiken that was buried in the orange depths. "Wah-! I can't find my key!" The Jinchūriki exclaimed and shoved his left hand into his left pocket, fishing for the key and sticking his tongue out. "Idiot," he heard Sasuke mutter. "Shut up," he replied and searched his pants pocket. Damn, was he really this clumsy in Sasuke's head? It really did suck sometimes to be the bastard's best friend sometimes..."Ugh, I'll just have to get in through the window," Naruto muttered to himself and walked past Sasuke in the narrow hallway, jumping to the balcony of his apartment and trying the door there. It was locked, not that Naruto expected otherwise.

Sighing, and mumbling about having a serious talk with Sasuke concerning his view of himself, Naruto made his way to his bedroom window and peered inside, seeing none other than the apartment key sitting on the kitchen counter. Wedging his fingertips under the sealing of the window, Naruto attempted to pull the thing up.

It didn't budge.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and tugged harder, his hands shaking as he pulled, but to no avail. "Dammit," he cursed and released his grip on the glass, only to find that without him holding on he was going to topple backwards. "Wah!" He exclaimed and flailed his arms forward, instinct sending chakra to his feet to stick to the wall...except there was one problem. The Naruto that Sasuke remembered couldn't stick to the fucking wall! "Fuck you Sasuke," Naruto hissed and managed to latch his fingers once more under the pane. "Need some help?" Naruto glanced to his left and saw, surprise surprise, Sasuke, sticking to the wall like gravity was pushing his body sideways. "No," he replied tensely as he pulled himself onto the narrow ledge outside his window. Sasuke shrugged. "Fine," he said and turned to leave.

Then Naruto nearly fell again, and he cried out "Wait!" as he began to tumble to the very hard ground, more than two stories below. "What." Sasuke turned, his jet black hair shining in the orange light of the evening as he did so while he stared at the struggling Naruto. "...Please help me," Naruto said slowly, his pride crying out in pain with each word. Sasuke smirked and strode forward, placing his foot inbetween Naruto's hands. "Baka," the Uchiha said teasingly and turned to face the window. Naruto looked away, an embarrassed flush covering his cheeks. _Stop it! _He exclaimed silently as Sasuke attempted to pry the window open. "Damn Naruto, did you coat this thing with cement?" Sasuke asked as he tugged harder. "Hah! You can't get it either!" Naruto exclaimed happily as a bead of sweat appeared on Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke grunted, his arms shaking, and then he staggered back on the wall.

"Shut up-!" Sasuke yelled wordlessly as his chakra gave out, sending him colliding into Naruto, who couldn't keep his grip on the small wooden plank he was crouched on. "What the hell! Bastard!" The blonde shouted while Sasuke's forehead collided with his own. "I ran out of chakra," the raven hissed in reply as the two fell towards the ground. Naruto grunted as he freed his arms from under Sasuke's body, clapping his hands into a familiar seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" in a poof of smoke, a pile of clones appeared under Naruto and caught the original blonde and Sasuke just before the two were going to hit the ground, while various people were gasping in shock and concern for Sasuke, while completely ignoring Naruto. "You're welcome bastard," Naruto muttered as he dispelled his clones and stood from laying on the dirt ground, glaring at Sasuke as the Uchiha stood shakily.

"If you hadn't left your damn key in your apartment I wouldn't even be here right now!" Sasuke shouted back, composure gone in his embarrassment. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I need to wait until tomorrow now to find the landlord and get a spare key anyways..." Naruto thought of asking Sasuke if he could stay in the raven's home, but knew it would probably be out of context for his current behavioral patterns and, considering this was Sasuke's memory that was being applied to this genjutsu, it most likely would not let him ask that question. Naruto turned, intent on finding Iruka and trying to beg him to let the blonde sleep on his couch when Sasuke coughed deliberately. "What?" Naruto asked and eyed the raven curiously. "...You could stay at my house for the night, if you want," Sasuke offered.

Naruto blinked. Did Sasuke read his mind or something? And since when had Sasuke ever offered to let Naruto step foot in his home, much less spend the night there? Was this even a memory anymore? Or...

Was this something Sasuke wished had happened?

Facing the Uchiha, Naruto allowed some of his shock to seep into his face. "I don't think I heard you properly teme," the blonde said and scratched the back of his head. "Did you seriously ask me to crash at your place?" Sasuke grimaced. "Forget I asked," he muttered, turning to walk away. "Eh? Wait, you can't just ask me that then go off on your own!" Naruto complained. "I'll go over your place...I just wanna know why you offered, ya know?" Naruto frowned at how easily he slipped into old habits. Sasuke sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and closing his eyes. "I dunno, do you _want_ to find some park bench to sleep on," the raven replied. "Well...I was gonna go find Iruka...sensei," Naruto nearly forgot the honorific at the end, but for some reason he spoke it anyway, "But I don't think he's home today." What the fuck! Why did Naruto say that! The blonde was busy mentally beating himself up as Sasuke stared at him with a thoughtful expression on his face.

The two boys watched each other for a moment, then Sasuke nodded and turned, leading the way to his home...on the other side of the village. "Geez Sasuke, do you have to live so isolated from the rest of human society," Naruto whined as he trudged by Sasuke's side, today's "training" apparently taking its toll on Naruto's feet. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "The Uchiha's were a shinobi family dobe," he replied. "We got our own seperate district like the Hyuuga's have on the outskirts of the village." "How prestigious," Naruto muttered. Sasuke snorted and nodded his head forward to a pair of black gates looming in the distance, past the late-evening crowds that were filling the dirt streets. "We're almost there. Unless you want to be a lazy ass and try to make me carry you, you'll just have to live until we get there." Naruto groaned, but a sudden idea, and theory, popped into his head. If what was happening was something that Sasuke wanted...who was to say that Naruto couldn't try and figure the raven's motives out?

Feigning a limp, Naruto paused and glanced up and Sasuke with puppy dog eyes as he gripped his leg. "My foot hurts," he complained. "I think I hurt it from that damn fall." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You'll be fine," he muttered. "Carry me." "No." "Please?" "No." Naruto sucked in a deep breath, his pride already bleeding once more. "Pleaseeeeee Sasuke? I'm way too weak to take care of myself. I neeeeeeed youuuuuu," he whined. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and for a moment Naruto thought the Uchiha was just going to abandon him in the road (which he actually would have preferred), but of course the raven stepped forward and scooped Naruto up, swinging the blonde onto his shoulder. "You're such a dumbass," Sasuke mumbled, but from Naruto's vantage point he could see a light blush dust Sasuke's cheeks.

_What the hell is going on with him? Why would he want something like this...and m_o_re importantly, why the hell is this happening in his genjutsu? _Naruto thought worriedly. He couldn't think of a logical reason why Sasuke wanted to carry Naruto, to his house, but beggars couldn't be choosers. So Naruto did what any freeloader would do; take what he was given without complaint.

* * *

**Sasuke**

"Ow." Sasuke rubbed his shoulder as if a sudden weight had been placed on it. "What the hell?" He stared down at Naruto's impassive face from his vantage point in a rather uncomfortable chair, legs crossed as he ate a tomato absentmindedly. Activating his sharnigan, Sasuke examined Naruto's chakra levels and found that the Kyuubi was still acting up in the blonde's system. Sighing, the raven leaned back and finished his tomato. "Sorry Naruto. I'll just have to keep you in my dreams just a little while longer."


	19. The Locket

The Locket

**Naruto**

The evening sun shone through a set of double glass doors as Naruto lay sprawled on the floor of Sasuke's home, eyes tracing the swirls of the wood above his head as he listened to...silence. _It's so quiet..._He thought to himself and his right hand clenched into a loose fist. _Not that I'm not used to it...but who would have thought Sasuke's house would be so fucking huge. And lonely..._The sound of bare feet treading on carpeting brought Naruto from his dazing as he sat up into a cross-legged position and facing the raven as he entered the room, a tray in his arms which held two glasses of lemonade. "So this is your living room?" Naruto asked as Sasuke sat down on the couch in front Naruto, taking the glass of lemonade to Naruto's left and placing the tray on the floor.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied and leaned back, sipping his lemonade while Naruto reached for his own glass. "It's awesome," Naruto said awkwardly, not sure what else to say...or ask. What was he supposed to do? Ask how it felt to be living in the same home his parents were killed in? Yeah right. Sasuke snorted. "If you say so," the Uchiha replied and crossed his legs. "C'mon, at least you actually have more than two rooms," Naruto complained and scooted back to rest his back on the foot of the couch, gazing up at Sasuke's profile and taking a sip of lemonade. The raven didn't reply, and Naruto glanced down to stare at the opposite wall, which held a television set on a t.v. stand, bookshelves on either side and windows lining the area above the wooden objects.

Taking another drink, Naruto noted how any pictures of Sasuke's family were missing from the space, and every book on the shelves contained only ninja techniques, no scrapbooks or anything related to the Uchiha Clan. Silence fell between the two boys, and at least to Naruto, it was extremely uncomfortable. "Hey, let's watch a show, yeah?" He offered and set his glass down to crawl forward and examine the t.v. stand to find the remote. "I don't watch tv," Sasuke drawled out, and Naruto turned his head to glare over his shoulder while his hand rummaged through various scrolls and books. "Every self respecting teenager watches tv," he replied surely and stuck his tongue out while searching. Sasuke sighed.

Footsteps approached Naruto, then suddenly a light weight pressed against his back and Sasuke's chin was against the blonde's forehead while the raven leaned around him to reach behind the tv. For some reason, a heavy blush found its way to Naruto's cheeks as Sasuke pressed closer. "You couldn't have asked me to move away?" He muttered. Vibrations rolled over Naruto's spine as Sasuke seemed to hold back a chuckle, laughing deep in his throat instead. The Uchiha stepped back, and Naruto found himself yearning for him to return as he turned to follow Sasuke back to the couch, sitting back down at his place on the floor. A black object was tossed towards the blonde's head and Naruto reached out his palm just before the remote struck his temple, and he clicked the power button while taking a sip of lemonade.

"So, what do you wanna watch?" The Jinchūriki offered. Sasuke shrugged when Naruto glanced up at him. "Geez, were you born in the wrong era or something..?" Naruto muttered as he flipped through the pitifully small amount of channels Sasuke had available to his tv set. "Television corrupts your mind, moron," Sasuke retorted, but Naruto could hear the amusement in the raven's tone. _Where was this Sasuke when I actually wanted him around? _Naruto thought and finally decided on an animal documentary that seemed remotely interesting. The screen faded to black for a few moments, and then color flashed to reveal a small red fox jumping around in a small, shaded clearing. "Oh great," Naruto complained and shut his eyes. _Thanks a lot Sasuke. _"What?" the raven asked aloud.

"...Nothing. This is just really boring," Naruto replied and sipped more of his drink while his eyes trailed the small red fox and, if he looked extremely closely, the blonde could see a sharnigan glowing dimly in its normally small beady black eyes. "So, if you don't watch tv, what do you do around here?" Naruto continued, finding the documentary going from relatively interesting to down right boring. "Train," Sasuke muttered. "That's it? You don't, like.." Naruto paused, unable to think of an activity that would actually suit Sasuke. "Well...all you do is seriously train?" Sasuke nodded. Naruto looked at the tv once more, mind racing as he thought of ways to make this visit, and genjutsu, a little bit more...

Interesting.

"Hey...Sasuke," Naruto asked. "Hn," Sasuke replied. "Wanna go swimming?" Sasuke coughed on his drink, doubling over and setting it down on the coffee table in front of him. Naruto arched an eyebrow, confused by his teammate's reaction to the simple question when the raven sat up. "So..no?" Sasuke glared at Naruto. "...The only place we can go swimming here is in my family's back garden," he muttered, his voice scratchy. Naruto made an expression that made it seem like he thought Sasuke was insane. "...It's the place I used to train with...him." Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh," he whispered and looked away as Sasuke's face became very sullen and sad. _If this is something Sasuke wanted...then..maybe I should take him out there? No, he obviously doesn't like that place, but maybe he needs to be there..._

Naruto stood and plopped himself down on the couch by Sasuke's side, the raven's head held low and fists held clenched tight in his lap while his raven hair covered his eyes. Naruto wasn't used to this, in real life or in Sasuke's fantasies, seeing the Uchiha so vulnerable and in pain _hurt_ the blonde, it struck his heart and he knew there was something he could do to fix this...but what? "...Well, maybe you'd feel better if you went out there," Naruto offered. Sasuke's head raised slightly at the suggestion, but his hair still covered his expression. "I mean, you haven't been out there since...that time, yeah?" Naruto continued softly and slowly reached out to pat Sasuke's shoulder gently. "Maybe you can, I dunno, come to peace or something." Was this something Naruto could have done to stop Sasuke from spiraling into the deep abyss of revenge and hatred? As Naruto watched this younger Sasuke stiffen at his touch, feeling the shaking of the Uchiha's shoulders...he wondered if he could have helped Sasuke get past his pain.

Sasuke's head raised slowly at the last statement, and his surprisingly (at least, surprising because Naruto had never, ever seen Sasuke like this) wet eyes connected with Naruto's. A small smile graced the Uchiha's lips then, and Sasuke nodded once. The raven stood, shaking off Naruto's hand as he did so, and exited the room through the open doorway that he had entered previously through. Naruto stood and followed, his teammate leading the way through empty hallways and rooms, and Naruto saw that there was on particular set of double mahogany doors that had piles of furniture stacked in front of them, barring entrance to anyone and, as the two walked by, Naruto saw Sasuke's shoulders stiffen ever so slightly until the room was well behind the two and a sliding door came into view in front of the Uchiha.

The raven stopped in front of the doorway, and Naruto poked his head close to the boy's shoulder. "We don't even have to go swimming, ya know," he offered when Sasuke didn't move to open the door. Sasuke didn't respond, but his fist clenched around the thin frame of door as it peeled open inch by inch, exposing to Naruto a large expanse of green. As if the door was pushing back on his hand, Sasuke slowly opened the door and revealed to Naruto what had probably once been a very gorgeous and well kept garden, a stone gravel path leading from the door that was filled with small weeds stretching out to various overgrown flower and vegetable beds and, further in the distance, a small pond. Sucking in a deep breath, Sasuke stepped forward and his bare feet caused the gravel beneath his toes to crunch as he stopped as soon as he was outside. Turning, the raven attempted a smirk and crossed his arms.

"Coming dobe?" He asked and stepped further back. Naruto scowled. Even in his dreams, Sasuke just had to be an ass, didn't he. Striding quickly, Naruto joined his teammate in the light of a dying sun and felt the gravel beneath his skin as he stretched his arms and glared in response at his silently grieving teammate. _Former teammate, _Naruto reminded himself harshly. "So...what now?" The blonde asked. Sasuke shrugged, his image flickering and vanishing before Naruto's eyes and, if he weren't trained to watch for that sort of thing, Naruto would have thought the raven had simply teleported. But instead, he watched the Uchiha sprint headlong to the pond Naruto had seen, stopping immediately and leaning back on his right leg, hair fluttering in the wind he had created during his run. "Show-off," the Jinchūriki muttered in response and followed suit, joining Sasuke by the weather and time worn wooden dock set up on the shore of the small lake.

A grin split Naruto's face as an idea came to mind. Quickly, he tugged his jacket off and leaving himself in his black tanktop and orange sweatpants, and he swiftly disposed of his shirt and pointing to the opposite shore. "Whoever can swim there last owes the winner free ramen for a week!" He declared, satisfied with that statement being one he would have proclaimed when he had been thirteen. "You're assuming you'll win, usuratonkachi," Sasuke replied and only tugged off his shirt while Naruto stripped to his toad-covered boxers. "I know I'll win," Naruto corrected and crouched into a position to dive into the lake as Sasuke did, both boys glancing at the other. "Ready," Sasuke called. "Set..." "Go!" Naruto shouted and leaped forward, his face being enveloped first in cool water before his shoulders and legs until his was completely submerged, propelling himself forward and kicking while bubbles formed all around his sight.

* * *

"C'mon...one more time," Naruto panted out from his position of laying half out of the water on his stomach. "...I already...beat you, ten times, dobe..." Sasuke replied as he lay on his back in the same fashion, legs floating in the water and torso on the sandy shore of the pond. "But I want free ramen," Naruto retorted and managed to turn his head to glare at his raven haired teammate. "The day you get that from me, moron, is the day the sky falls," Sasuke muttered. "Bastard." Naruto rolled over and pushed himself fully into the water once more, slowly swimming to the middle of the pond and pouting over in Sasuke's direction, where the Uchiha ignored his sulking and stared at the sky. Treading water, Naruto let his feet kick softly under the water as he looked down to the clear depths of the pond and saw a flicker of gold flash amongst the dirt below. _Should I go get that? _Naruto thought, then nodded once to himself. Diving down wordlessly, Naruto kept his eyes on the shimmering object as he swam down, hand reaching for the item until he grabbed a dirty gold chain in his palm.

Bubbles floated from his mouth as Naruto exclaimed happily under the water, and he tugged once. The ground didn't release its hold on the object, and Naruto scowled as more bubbles escaped his mouth and he pulled harder. _Is this thing encased in cement or something? _Naruto thought in annoyance and put both his hands on the chain, tugging and digging the heels of his feet into the soft ground until, after what felt like eternity, the object finally gave way and Naruto caught a glimpse of a locket with a faded Uchiha crest on it's face floating towards him. The sight entranced Naruto, and he found that his limbs felt very heavy and his lungs ached for air...two arms locked under his own, and as Naruto's closing eyes opened in shock, his face broke the surface of the lake and he found himself gasping in all the air he could get, spluttering and clutching at his throat with his freehand. "Do you have a death wish or something!" Sasuke shouted into the blonde's ear, but all the same, Naruto found that the raven was holding Naruto close, their water-covered bodies warm against each other's flesh.

Naruto slowly raised his right hand, the golden chain and locket in his hand as he looked over his shoulder at Sasuke. The raven's onyx eyes widened at the sight of the object. "I...saw this," Naruto murmured. "It was just..in the water and I thought I'd get it.." Sasuke was silent for a moment. "...That...was my mother's," He replied softly, and one arm disappeared from under Naruto's bicep to take the necklace into his own hand, the gold glittering in the sunlight as he did so. "How was it here..?" "I dunno," Naruto replied tiredly and again found himself sinking into Sasuke's arms, and whether by choice or the shift in weight caused Sasuke to, the Uchiha's left arm snaked around Naruto's waist while the other crossed over Naruto's chest. "You're such a baka," Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear. "Shut up and be grateful I found that," Naruto replied quietly and allowed his eyelids to shut, enjoying simply floating in the pond and being in Sasuke's arms, the sun sinking over the horizon and light fading from their sight.

* * *

**Sasuke**

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura called softly, and Sasuke looked up from trying to remove a heavy log from barricading a semi-demolished home. "Yes Sakura," he replied, and shoved the object away as Kya trotted by with bundles of sticks in her jaws. "It's been four days since you put Naruto in that genjutsu," the rosette stated, and Sasuke quickly took in her Jonin vest and her pink hair before replying. "Once the Kyuubi's chakra recedes, I'll lift it," Sasuke replied. "There's no way Naruto can break out of it." "Because it's from your memory?" Sakura asked. Sasuke shook his head. "Actually...I just chose a random dream I probably had at the time I was on team 7," he admitted. "But there is no way of escaping it unless you have a Sharnigan or I release it." Sakura nodded. "Well..I need you to try and see if Naruto is ready, because...we need his help with healing Tsunade-sama," she said softly.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and set down the rubble he had been holding, allowing a team of genin and chunnin pass by and stepping forward while gesturing for Sakura to follow. Once he reached a quiet alleyway, Sasuke stopped and turned to face the rosette. "What do you mean by you need his help healing Tsunade," he questioned quietly as Sakura leaned against a cobblestone wall. "The Kyuubi's chakra is still inside of her," she replied. "And it can't be taken out unless the source...sucks it back inside of itself." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You're asking Naruto to take that thing back into him," he growled out. "Sasuke-kun, it's still a part of him. The chakra is connecting the two and offering an equal flow to both bodies..." Sakura murmured. "But Tsunade-sama's body simply isn't compatible with this kind of power. If she was we would simply let the chakra deplete itself by severing the connection but right now, it's the only thing keeping her alive and that is because of Naruto."

"Then why do you need Naruto awake now?" Sasuke asked and crossed his arms, glowering at his teammate. "Because while the Kyuubi's chakra is keeping her alive, it isn't compatible with her system. It's keeping her alive and destroying her at the same time," Sakura explained. "..." Sasuke sighed and tilted his head to gaze at the cloudy sky, conflicting needs pressing against his mind. Finally, he glanced back down at Sakura and nodded once. "If the Kyuubi has died down, then yes," he said, worry filling his mind as thoughts of Naruto rampaging as the Kyuubi once more coursed through him. Sakura nodded once, her expression grim, and she turned to walk away when Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder. "What?..." Sakura asked in confusion, and her emerald eyes connected with Sasuke's onyx. (A/N, no, this isn't a SasuSaku moment doll faces.)

"...Thank you, for not freaking out about him," Sasuke murmured. Sakura's eyes widened slightly. "What're you talking about," the kunochi said shakily and chuckled. "Thank you for keeping Naruto a secret for now," the raven elaborated. "Oh..." Sakura looked away and Sasuke saw her lips quiver. "You're welcome," she finally replied. Sasuke was about to ask her something else when the rosette turned and leaped from the alleyway, heading for Konoha's hospital and leaving Sasuke to follow her over the broken rooftops and mangled homes. As Sasuke ran, he saw many of their friends helping with the reconstruction and assisting the injured. None of them took notice of the two teammates as Sakura landed in front of the hospital and the doors slid open silently, leading the way past the still injured and distraught up flights of stairs until the two finally reached the hospital wing labeled "Intensive Care". This place was one Sasuke knew quite well as he pushed his way past Sakura when she stopped to talk with a nurse and made his way to Naruto's room.

"Here we go," Sasuke muttered under his breath and pushed the door open to reveal the still sleeping Naruto on the same hospital bed Sasuke had left him in, his breathing considerably more even and controlled than when Sasuke had last seen him. Activating his sharnigan once he stopped at the edge of the bed, the raven saw pure blue chakra slowly well inside of Naruto's chakra veins, the only concentration of orange chakra being focused in a shape that followed the Shiki Fuujin seal on the blonde's stomach. Sasuke allowed himself a brief smile of satisfaction, then he focused on the thin stream of chakra that connected himself and his genjutsu to Naruto's mind. Closing his eyes, the Uchiha breathed in deeply and focused on severing the ribbon-like connection and almost felt the physical snap like a bond between himself and Naruto had been broken when he did so. The irony of that metaphor caused Sasuke to wince as he heard Sakura enter the room, heels clicking on the floor.

"You released it?" She asked quietly and stepped around Sasuke to check Naruto's pulse and temperature. "Yes," Sasuke replied as Naruto stirred. The blonde's blue eyes flicked open and Sasuke saw them immediately go to Sakura's face. "Sakura?" Naruto's voice was scratchy with disuse as Sasuke managed to see the Jinchūriki's face. Sakura nodded. "How are you feeling?" Sakura murmured and moved to examine the IV drips connected to Naruto's arms. "Sore. Drowsy." Sasuke hid a chuckle, and Naruto's eyes snapped to glare at the raven. "Why the fuck did you put me in a genjutsu," the blonde hissed, blue eyes narrowing into a glare. Sasuke met the invisible daggers Naruto was sending his way evenly. "Because if I hadn't you would have let the Kyuubi out again," he replied shortly, and saw Naruto's shoulders slack ever so slightly.

"But you didn't, so don't focus on it," he continued quickly and noticed Sakura shoot him a quick annoyed look before turning her attention to Naruto. "Naruto-" "Why does it feel like my chakra is being sucked out of me?" Naruto interrupted, attention back on the rosette, who sighed and rubbed her eyes. "That's what I'm here to talk with you about...you see, we managed to heal Tsunade-sama-" "Great," Naruto again said, cutting off Sakura. Sasuke saw the rosette's eyebrow twitched and felt some sympathy for the verbal beating Naruto was likely to endure. "We managed to heal Tsunade-sama," Sakura repeated through gritted teeth. "But the Kyuubi's chakra is still in her chakra veins, and still connected to you...we need to you bring that chakra back inside of you so she can wake up, because the chakra is keeping her in a comatose state."

Naruto glanced down at his legs, eyes closed and brow furrowed. Sasuke and Sakura exchanged a glance before Naruto raised his head. "Fine," he muttered, "Give me a second." The blonde leaned his head back against the wall his bed was against and breathed deeply, then a visible concentration of dim orange chakra mingled with bright blue appeared from Naruto's torso, extending off the bed and floating out of the room into the hallway. The chakra flow was reversed, and Sasuke watched with intrigued eyes as it flowed back into Naruto, the tip of the material finally appearing in the doorway and after what felt like an hour, vanished into Naruto's skin. The blonde gasped out once and snapped forward, eyes wide and breathing desperate for air as Sakura patted his back and Sasuke watched worriedly. "God dammit...I hate doing that," Naruto muttered. Sasuke was about to ask when Naruto had even preformed that before when someone entered the room.

"Sakura-sama! Tsunade-sama has woken up!" A young male voice proclaimed excitedly and ran forward. "I figured as much," Sakura replied easily, then glanced at Naruto. "Naruto, I need to examine your wound," she explained as he hand again unbuttoned the hospital gown Naruto had on. Once the cloth fell aside and exposed the tan flesh on Naruto's chest, Sasuke felt a sudden urge to have to look away, embarrassment surging through him as a light blush dusted his pale cheeks. _What the hell_, he thought angrily as he stared out of the window instead at the early morning sun, barely visible amongst the rolling grey clouds that covered it. "Well...I guess the Kyuubi is healing you nicely," Sakura said then, and Sasuke looked back down, his eyes focusing on the now pink scars that stretched across the blonde's stomach and pecs. "In fact, if you really wanted to you could be out of here by tomorrow. Your recovery is as far along as someone who had this surgery eight months ago," Sakura continued.

"And go where?" Naruto asked. "In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been here for three years and I doubt you've screamed from the rooftops that I'm back.." "It's pretty obvious," Sasuke intervened and smirked when Naruto shot him a glare. "Well...you'd probably stay at Hokage Tower or..." Sasuke stopped paying attention as his mind drifted, and he realized that Naruto probably didn't want to live in the place where he had once hoped to work. Images of the blonde instead in Sasuke's own backyard flashed in the raven's mind, the blonde in Sasuke's own kitchen at that small table, on the porch staring out onto the small fountain that dotted the front yard...Sasuke watched as Sakura opened her mouth to continue to speak. "He can stay with me," he suddenly interrupted. Sakura shot him a surprised look. "...Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly. "Yes, Sasuke, are you sure," Naruto mimicked.

Sasuke nodded. "It would be best to keep you hidden from the others for now," he explained and looked back at his former teammate, heart somewhat fluttering at the annoyed look on Naruto's face that still somehow managed to look...cute. "And having you stay anywhere in Konoha that isn't isolated would be dangerous for not only you, but the village. My home is on the outskirts and away from everyone else, so-" "Fine, fine, just shut up already," Naruto muttered, and his blue eyes trailed to meet Sakura's emerald. "Is that acceptable?" Sasuke asked. Sakura was silent for a few moments, and she turned to look at the young brunette male that had ran into the room. "Please go get me a patient discharge form," she asked kindly, and he nodded once while jogging off. Then she turned and faced both men with a stern expression.

"I expect that this isn't some ploy to kill him," Sakura murmured tensely. Sasuke arched an eyebrow, but shook his head otherwise without speaking. "As for Naruto, I want you back here in five days for physical therapy. Kami knows you need it even at this stage in your body's recovery. Then I have to talk to Tsunade-sama about..." Sakura looked away and Naruto's eyes darkened. "Am I leaving today?" He asked. Sakura nodded and looked at Sasuke. "I'll sign Naruto out," she said. "Go get him a room ready or something." Sasuke nodded once, then turned away to walk out of the room, anticipation filling his stomach like butterflies fluttering in the spring air.

* * *

Sasuke stepped into his soon to be more crowded home with vigor springing his steps forward to the thankfully empty guest room he had, the small space comfortable but still cluttered as Sasuke sat down on the bed that was to be Naruto's. "Why do I feel so nervous.." He muttered to himself and looked around, deciding to just straighten up the room as he waited for Sakura to arrive with Naruto in tow. Standing and turning to make the bed below him, Sasuke thought more of Naruto simply living with him, and he felt...excited by the prospect that finally, after six long years, Sasuke could be the friend Naruto needed, and Naruto could be the support Sasuke depended on. A shiver racked Sasuke's spine as he went to the somewhat empty closet, which held some white kimonos that had been in the house when Sasuke first moved in, and he imagined the blonde standing annoyed in those outfits as a snicker escaped his lips.

Turning to gaze at the now more acceptable living space, Sasuke heard four paws padding down the wooden hallway and heard Kya's telltale panting as the wolf appeared in the doorway, tongue lolling from her jaws. Sasuke smiled slightly and stepped forward to pat her head once. "We are going to have a guest," he murmured to the russet wolf. Looking down into those yellow eyes sternly, because Sasuke just knew Kya would try to pull something once Naruto got there, the raven rubbed behind her ears. "And I expect that you won't do what you did last time," he scolded. What sounded like an amused snort came from Kya, and Sasuke remembered the mess of mud and grass he, Neji, and Sai had to have cleaned off themselves and off of Sasuke's kitchen due to Kya walking in and deciding to shake her fur off. Kya nodded and her head pressed against Sasuke's leg, then she turned and headed for the door that led to the backyard.

Sasuke watched her leave and crossed his arms, leaning against the open doorframe and sighing, staring at the one out of three pictures he had in his home. The first was, naturally, the picture of Team 7, which was currently on Sasuke's bed stand facing the bed. The second was of his family, before the massacre, and that hung in the kitchen along with a banner with the Uchiha crest. The third, which was the one Sasuke was watching, was of Itachi as a young teenager, probably thirteen and standing proudly in his ANBU uniform. The Uchiha's frozen form was holding a katana and a mask in each hand, and a familiar pang of regret stabbed Sasuke as he remembered his brother. Lost in the thoughts of his lost family...Sasuke barely heard someone knock on the front door.

Again, excitement filled Sasuke as he pushed himself forward and made his way to the doorway, closing his hand on the handle and smiling once, then pulling it open to see Naruto standing on two crutches with Sakura by his side. Her face held an annoyed, but amused expression as she shoved the blonde over the doorway, to which the blonde protested slightly. Glancing at a clock that Sasuke had on a table, he realized it had been three hours since he left the hospital. "Where have you been?" He asked and pulled Naruto out of the way so he could see Sakura fully. She shrugged. "I had to make sure no-one saw him," she said. "She was busy gossiping with Ino and TenTen," Naruto muttered, and Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Five days until physical therapy, Naruto," she called with fake cheeriness and nodded to Sasuke. "I have to get back to the hospital. Naruto has a list of medications and the prescriptions with him, and instructions for dressing the wound. It could still open, so be careful."

Sakura smiled and Sasuke nodded, then he shut the door and the inside of the home was encased in soft darkness. "...Nice place," Naruto commented. "A lot better than some of the places I saw before coming here..." Sasuke nodded. "Want anything to eat?" He asked and stepped around Naruto to lead the way to the kitchen. "Sakura already got me something. I'm fine." Sasuke gave Naruto an annoyed look. "Okay. I guess I'll show you around then..." Quickly, as if he wanted it over as soon as possible, Sasuke pointed out the bathroom, the kitchen, Naruto's own room, Sasuke's, the laundry room, living room, and finally the way to the backyard. Stopping in front of the door, Sasuke slid it open and revealed the small sanctuary that Naruto began to gape at. "...And Tsunade just...gave this to you?" Naruto asked in shock. "I have to pay rent but yes. Pretty much," Sasuke replied, and Naruto limped out onto the small wooden deck and taking in the sight.

"This is-" Naruto was cut off by a blur of grey and red flashing into his side. "..._Kya_!" Sasuke shouted in annoyance as Naruto suddenly became covered in tangle of fur. Stepping forward, Sasuke attempted to wrap his arms around the wolf's torso and feeling worried that Naruto's wounds had opened when Naruto's laughter reached his ears. "I knew it was you!" The blonde exclaimed happily and scratched Kya's ears while the wolf nipped at the blonde's ears._ ...What_, was all Sasuke could think. Naruto's cobalt eyes connected with Sasuke's. "I remember this wolf from when I was traveling," he explained. "She brought me food when I couldn't buy any." Kya seemed to let out a snarl and a growl and pawed at Naruto's chest, which was covered by a thin black jacket while her hind legs scratched the white sweatpants Naruto had on. "Kya, off," Sasuke said sternly, and the wolf obeyed while Naruto continued to chuckle. Reaching down, Sasuke wrapped his left arm around Naruto's torso and placed the blonde's right over his shoulders.

Standing straight, the raven helped Naruto stand fully and he picked up the blonde's fallen crutches as he did so. "Do you have a tv?" Naruto asked as Sasuke helped him limp back inside the house, barring off Kya's entrance as he did so and letting the blonde stand on his own with the crutches. "In the living room," Sasuke replied and ran a hand through his hair, stepping forward and leading the way to the small den filled with bookshelves, one black leather couch, and flat screen tv set into the wall. "Fancy..." Naruto commented as he stepped inside and sitting down on the couch. "Hn." Sasuke fetched the remote and flung it onto Naruto's lap while finding a scroll to read and sitting down on the opposite side of the couch. "You don't wanna watch?" Naruto asked as he turned the television on. "I don't watch tv," Sasuke replied. "...Of course you don't," Naruto muttered and settled for watching some sort of movie.

Silence fell over the two, minus for the sounds of dialogue, and by chance Sasuke glanced up and to his left to watch Naruto. The raven felt confused as he felt he should wrap an arm around Naruto's shoulders as he watched the movie, and what troubled Sasuke even more than that was he actually _wanted_ to do so. Sighing, Sasuke stood and went to put the scroll back on the shelf he had found it out, his fingers running over a golden locket with a faded Uchiha crest that was on top of the bookshelf, then he sat back down on the couch, closer to Naruto than previously. "A horror movie," he commented, and Naruto nodded. "I watched these a lot while I was away," the blonde replied. Sasuke nodded and returned his attention to the movie. Boredom flickered in the raven's head, and he ignored it as, shockingly, Naruto flinched at a particular gory scene.

"Scared?" Sasuke asked, and was pleased at now easily both of them fell into old habits. "Shut up, I'm not," Naruto retorted. Sasuke sighed as Naruto flinched again, eyes narrowed in concentration as he did so. Sliding to the side, Sasuke pressed against Naruto and knocked his fist lightly against the blonde's forehead and doing as he had felt earlier, wrapping his left arm around Naruto. "You're still such an idiot," he murmured. "...I'd rather be an idiot than a stuck up bastard who's treating me like I'm some girl," Naruto replied. Sasuke chuckled. "Trust me, half the girls in this village would be dying to be where you are now." "I'm well aware." Both men returned their attention to the movie then, and Sasuke noted how right it felt to be with Naruto like this, holding the blonde in his arms, despite the blonde being gone from his life for well over six years.


	20. The Meeting

The Meeting

**Shikamaru**

"Now hold on. Just because the Kyuubi has returned does not guarantee its Jinchūriki is alive as well!" Shikamaru sighed and leaned his head onto his palm, which was supported by his elbow on the oak table beneath him. The Jonin watched one of the elders stand and begin to argue with one of his own, robes swishing on the ground, and Shikamaru felt complete and utter boredom in this situation. Why sit here arguing about if Naruto was alive or not and instead go out and look for him? Granted, the kid was a lot closer than they all thought..."Shikamaru, pay attention," his father scolded quietly, and Shikamaru glanced up to see his father's scarred face staring at him. "Sorry," he muttered and held back a yawn as he sat up straight. "It isn't like you to drift off in a Council meeting like this," Shikaku whispered, eyes on the elders before them.

"Do you know something that should be shared with everyone?" Shikamaru didn't answer, because he knew if he did he would put Naruto in danger..

_"Alright, is everyone here?" Sakura called, and Shikamaru looked around the two others the rosette had gathered. "What's this about, Sakura?" Ino asked, and Neji nodded in agreement. Crossing his arms, Shikamaru leaned against a tree trunk behind him and sighed. Sakura glanced at him, and then closed her eyes. "I need to ask a...big favor of the three of you," she started quietly. Ino nodded and Shikamaru gazed around the small training clearing Sakura had picked out for this strange meeting. "...As you know, Naruto is alive and is in Konoha..." Sakura stopped as she saw a team of Genin come running out of the woods, two with small silver bells in their hands and the other sulking behind the two. She smiled gently, then returned her attention to the three around her._

_"Sasuke-kun and I ask all three of you to keep Naruto's return a secret for...a while." The wind picked up for a moment, a rough breeze brushing across Shikamaru's face as he analyzed Sakura's face carefully. "...Shouldn't we alert the Council as soon as possible?" Neji asked softly. "Naruto is a Jinchūriki, and the fact that it was the Kyuubi that attacked Konoha the other night surely won't go unnoticed." Sakura nodded. "I know that," she stated. "But right now, the Kyuubi is...unstable. Sasuke-kun had to put Naruto under a genjutsu just so it didn't try to escape yesterday. Until we can find a way to keep Naruto calm enough for the Kyuubi to stay down...it'd be unsafe to announce that he's back. People would freak out, they'd come after him and whether it's because they want to kill him or just see him...the Kyuubi might try something."_

_Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed again. "This is going to get troublesome real fast," he muttered. "Keeping Naruto hidden isn't going to solve the issue of the fox. We need to find a way to strengthen the seal the Fourth put on Naruto. And I'm assuming you and Sasuke will be the ones who primarily see him, so you have to make that possible before any of us do anything." Sakura nodded. "I plan on asking Tsunade-sama once she is healed for the Fourth's notes and sealing techniques," she replied. "Since she too knows Naruto is back, it won't be an issue," Ino elaborated. Neji's lavender eyes narrowed. "How do you expect to keep him hidden for such a long period of time?" He asked. "Strengthening a seal takes a large amount of time and energy, not to mention how to even cast it in the first place." Sakura looked away. "We don't have that figured out yet," she admitted._

_"But I was thinking he could either stay in Hokage Tower or even the Uchiha complex ruins. Sasuke-kun said there's multiple hidden basements there suitable for living if we could fix some of them..." Shikamaru shook his head. "How will Naruto even be able to keep the Kyuubi down?" He asked. "Obviously the seal has weakened to a point where the Kyuubi can escape as it pleases. From what Sasuke told Neji, and in turn us, Naruto came back to Konoha to ask Tsunade for help, and that he left three years ago to find a way to stop the demon. Clearly he wasn't successful, and right now Tsunade-sama is comatose." Sakura looked away. "All if this we'll have to figure out later," she said. "I don't expect you three to help...this is an issue Team 7 has to deal with."_

_"No way," Ino said immediately and stepped forward. "Naruto's our friend and no demon is going to change that. We'll help in any way we can." Shikamaru and Neji nodded. "I have a Council meeting next week," Shikamaru murmured to Sakura then, and the rosette looked at him in confusion. "Is there anything you want me to say then?" He elaborated, and Sakura glanced away with a thoughtful expression on her face. "...Telling them straight up will put Naruto in danger," she began slowly. "If you have to say something...tell them that there's no way Naruto would unleash the Kyuubi onto the village."_

"There's no way Naruto would unleash the Kyuubi onto the village," Shikamaru echoed Sakura to his father softly, and Shikaku nodded. "So are you suggesting whoever captured Naruto extracted the Kyuubi?" The man replied and leaned back in his chair. "We don't know for sure that Naruto was captured," Shikamaru said. "He could have just gone away or something." "That doesn't sound like something Naruto would do..." Shikaku muttered, and for a moment Shikamaru felt fear that Shikaku would stand and address his theory to the Council. "But we must keep all options open. Just pay attention to what's going on, and we'll discuss this later." Shikamaru breathed out a sigh of relief and did as his father instructed, raising his eyes to watch the entire Council now on their feet and shouting theories left and right at one another.

_Sakura...you better keep Naruto far away from here for now._

* * *

**Sakura**

"Ino, hand me that scalpel please," Sakura asked and reached her hand out for the knife while the blonde placed it in her palm. Nodding once, Sakura turned her attention back to removing the half-foot long metal pole that had been embedded in her patient's chest, her breath warm against the surgical mask over her mouth. Low humming filled the operating room while other surgeons and medic-nins attempted to removing the object through medical jutsu, but Sakura had decided to take a more traditional approach and found that, if she placed her incisions carefully, the surgery would go much faster than using chakra. Focused entirely on her work, the rosette barely heard the squeaking of a door moving on hinges and the clinking sound of footsteps on the floor. She shifted the cloth that covered her patient's body slightly so she could get a better view of the messy view in front of her, and the amount of the pole that was still stuck into the man's side.

"Sakura, we have a problem," Ino whispered into the kunochi's ear. "Can it wait?" She murmured back to her friend as she looked up at the medic nin opposite of her and nodded, giving him the okay to begin using medical jutsu once more. "Shizune just came in, she says it's urgent." Sakura froze, in the middle of trying to navigate mentally through the complicated muscle structure and potentially bone the metal pole was wedged into. "Does it have to do with Tsunade-sama?" She asked softy. "Probably, why else would she come in here?" Ino replied. Sakura sighed and set the now bloody scalpel down onto the metal table that supported her patient, the object gleaming under the harsh operating lights. She glanced at the two young nurses across from her and nodded once, then turned while removing her bloody rubber gloves and throwing them into the disposal bin by the double doors as Ino led the way out.

Reaching behind her short pink hair (for she refused to grow it out again, despite multiple people asking her to do such) she undid the mask on her face and folded it as she walked alongside Ino, their heeled sandals echoing in the strangely empty hallways of the surgical wing. "Why is it so quiet?" Sakura asked, wary since she knew the hospital must be buzzing with activity...but this part, at least, wasn't. Ino glanced over at her somewhat shorter friend. "We haven't had many surgeries to preform. Because of you, actually," Ino explained as they exited the hall and made their way to the extensive care unit. Shock rippled like disturbed water through Sakura's mind. "Me?" She asked in disbelief while they passed various doctors, nurses, and patients littering the hallway. Ino snorted and nodded, brushing her blonde bangs out of her face with her hand. "Of course, you've been everywhere. Assisting the surgeries, checking up on patients...I'm surprised you haven't used any Bunshins to get anything done!" Ino replied with a chuckle, and Sakura looked straight ahead with a surprised expression on her face.

"It doesn't feel like I've done much..." She murmured as they rounded a corner, dodging out of the way to narrowly avoid a male nurse charging forward with a metal cart filled with prescription bottles heading their way. "Are you kidding me?" Ino huffed. "If I didn't know any better Forehead-Girl, I'd say you're trying to milk the situation." Sakura laughed lightly. "Shut up," she replied teasingly as the stairwell came into view. Ascending the stairs, Ino seemed to begin to speak, only to shut her mouth and glance down. "What's up?" Sakura asked and glanced over at the blonde, who's sea-foam green eyes were watching her feet as they moved. "...How is..._he_," Ino asked softly. Sakura looked around quickly to ensure no-one was around, and then leaned closer to her friend. "I dropped him off yesterday at Sasuke-kun's, and I've been here since then," the rosette murmured while they entered the wing Tsunade was currently in. "Is he, I mean...is there any threat the fox will break free?" Ino replied.

"I think Sasuke-kun can keep him under control," Sakura murmured, but as the two walked towards the door guarded by the two ANBU she was not sure who she was referring to...Naruto, or the Kyuubi itself. "Names," the guard on the left said stiffly while Ino and Sakura stopped in front of them. "Yamanaka Ino," the blonde stated. "Haruno Sakura," the rosette followed, and the guard on the right shifted, holding out their hand while their bear mask hid their face. "Chakra identification," the male voice behind the whote mask said tensely, and Sakura took the guard's hand first, sending a bolt of chakra into his palm. Ino followed suit, and after a moment the Bear ANBU looked to their partner and nodded, both stepping aside and allowing acsess to the room. Stepping forward and opening the door, Sakura stepped into the room first, followed by Ino, to see Tsunade sitting up in bed with a...glass of sake. "Shizune," Sakura groaned as she took in the disheveled ravenette standing by the blonde Hokage's side.

"You know she can't have alcohol right now..." Shizune nodded, her eyelids dropping with TonTon in her arms, and Sakura decided to give the woman a break since she was obviously extremely tired. Approaching the head of the bed, Tsunade's hazel eyes flicked up groggily to stare at her students as they came closer. "Sakura...Ino..." The blonde seemed to begin, but never continued her statement. Sakura nodded. "How do you feel, Shishou?" She asked softly. "Like I need another shot of sake." Sakura rolled her eyes, making sure the Sanin couldn't see, and glanced at Ino. The blonde stepped up next to Shizune and poked the ravenette's shoulder lightly, and she awoke with a start and a yelp while dropping her pig. "I'll take her back to her home," Ino said softly, and Sakura nodded as the blonde steered the medical assistant to the door, an annoyed TonTon trailing their heels and snorting. Turning her attention back to her sensei, Sakura let her eyes roam over the white bedsheet covering her teacher's torso and the hospital gown that went up to her neck.

"...So, Tsunade-sama.." Sakura began and pulled a chair over to the side of the bed, the metal scraping on the floor while the rosette remembered what she had promised to ask the Godaime earlier. "Hm," Tsunade grunted in response and sipped more of her beverage. "I need to ask a favor of you..."

* * *

**Sasuke**

"Dammit Naruto, if you ask me one more time I am throwing your ass to Suna."

"C'mon, let me try just once!"

"No."

"Please. I'll be careful.."

Sasuke glowered at the blonde from across the kitchen table and set his chopsticks down into his omlet that he had made for breakfast. "No," he ground out again as Naruto leaned his arm on his crutches like they were an armrest, leaning forward and narrowing his eyes at Sasuke. "Just one time," the blonde begged again, and Sasuke sighed. "I am not letting you out into the village, even just to sight-see!" He snapped. "It's too dangerous for you and the villagers." _And half the place is being rebuilt anyways_, he added silently. "I just want to look around," Naruto countered. "I know how to hide myself Sasuke." "And do you know how to hide the Kyuubi if he breaks free?" Sasuke questioned, and Naruto shut his mouth with a _click_ and glared at the raven. "Exactly," Sasuke continued once the blonde remained silent. "You don't. And until we can all figure out how to solve this, like you _came here to do_, you can't put the villagers at risk."

"Since when were you such a mother hen," Naruto muttered and stared down at his barely touched oatmeal and strawberries that Sasuke had picked from his garden. "Since I decided to 'get the stick out of my ass'...as you told me to do twenty minutes ago." "Once a bastard, always a bastard..." Naruto replied quietly while stirring his now beyond soggy oatmeal. Sasuke rolled his eyes, the exchange between himself and the blonde not ceasing to amaze him with the familiarity of it all. Finishing his oatmeal and drinking his orange juice, Sasuke stood while pushing his chair behind himself, picking up his dishes and turning to the left to go to the sink and place the silverware in the bin. "If you're not going to eat you may as well bring your food over here," Sasuke called and listened to Naruto silently stand, hearing the familiar click of a crutch hitting the floor, then Naruto's blonde hair was poking over his shoulder and the Jinchūriki was reaching around the raven and putting his bowl in the sink.

"Happy, mom?" Naruto asked scathingly and stepped back while Sasuke turned to face the annoyed blonde leaning on his crutch, the other propped against the wooden table in the background. "Yes," Sasuke replied honestly and moved around the Jinchūriki to exit the room. "Where are you going?" Naruto asked and apparently followed the Uchiha into the hallway. Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes. "Since I can't go to my normal training grounds," he began, "I'm going to the backyard to work on shruiken practice." "Can I-" "No, you cannot practice too," Sasuke growled before Naruto could ask. It was amazing how easily he could predict the man even after over six years of almost zero contact...Naruto scowled while Sasuke entered his bedroom and shut the door, leaning his back against the wood and shutting his eyes. _This is going to be a long five days_, Sasuke thought as he pushed himself forward to his closet, where he retrieved a pair of black, knee-length shorts, a high-collared white jacket with the Uchiha crest emblazened on the back that would cover a black sleeveless tank-top, a roll of black tape that he wrapped around his wrists and knuckles, as well as his ankles, along with black shinobi sandals.

Finally, he reached for his weapons hoister on his bedstand, eyes resting briefly on a certain young blonde's annoyed form, and then he went to open his bedroom door once more. Sighing, he met the current blonde's annoyed eyes evenly while the man leaned against the opposite wall of the dim hallway. "Why can't I train," Naruto immediately questioned while Sasuke sighed and tied his pouch to his right thigh, taking in the white kimono he had almost forced Naruto to wear at the threat of a chidori ramming into the side of his "little blonde head". "Because you haven't even started physical therapy," Sasuke replied while leading the way to the backyard. "Why should I let you handle sharp objects when you can't even _walk_ on your own." Naruto sucked in a breath and Sasuke fought back a smirk when the blonde didn't speak as he stepped into the early morning air and breathed in the fresh dew on the grass.

The raven's onyx eyes flicked to stare at Kya's den, and he noticed the wolf's grey and russet fur was missing the from the rocky alcove, and he assumed that she had left to hunt. "If you're going to watch, sit on the steps and don't get in my way," Sasuke called over his shoulder and went over to the log he had laying by the fence on the other side of the yard. He heard Naruto mutter something about a mother hen and the raven rolled his eyes, picking up the log and setting it upright in the middle of the lawn. Then, he stepped back until his back was pressed against the fence that ran vertically along the length of the yard, and he reached into his weapons hoister and fingered three kunai, his fingers sliding into the loops as he drew his hand out and flicked his wrist towards the log, each knife lodging itself into the wood, one after another, with a solid _thunk_. Normally, Sasuke would be training with his weapons seals placed inside his armguards, but right now he figured he needed to practice with the typical shinobi battle gear, just in case.

Again reaching into the pouch, he allowed four shruiken to enter the gaps between his fingers and he ran forward, drawing his hand out as he did so, leaping over the log with a well-timed backflip and flinging the blades downward into the wood, each one following the arch of his decent and landing in the log accordingly. Landing on his feet and skidding backwards, Sasuke automatically pushed himself forward and a kunai in each palm, slashing at the already marked log from previous training, embedding more gouges into the wood as he flashed by and turned while he ran, flinging both knives into the side of the wood. Figuring he should also work on his taijutsu while he was at it, Sasuke propelled himself forward and jumped up, extending his leg out to land a vicious kick onto the top of the log and feeling satisfaction at the vibrating wood as he landed and with a few well-timed punches, jumped back while his fists left dents in the wood.

He continued like this, flinging his blades until his pouch was empty, never missing the target, the log, and kicking at the wood and punching, figuring this was too easy as he did so while pulling out a shruiken and jumping back. Flicking his right hand to his side harder than he normally would have, Sasuke realized his grip on the weapon wasn't that tight and felt the blade leave his grasp...hurtling straight towards Naruto. _Shit_, he thought and opened his mouth to warn the blonde of the incoming projectile as the Jinchūriki leaned to his right and the shruiken embedded itself into the wood of the doorframe behind him. Naruto was staring at his feet, not even staring in shock at where the weapon originated. "Might want to be careful with those sharp objects Sasuke," the blonde called lazily. Sasuke arched an eyebrow, breathing heavily and shoulders rising and falling, sweat pouring from his brow.

But, somehow, he managed to keep his face from showing the concern he felt for nearly slicing Naruto's head in two.

"How long has it been," he asked slowly, trying to slow his heartbeat down and holding his hands over his head to breath easier. "I'd say since the sun is near the middle of the sky...around eleven," Naruto replied, and counted something on his fingers. "You started at six. So around five hours." Sasuke nodded and exhaled through his nose while he sat down next to Naruto. The blonde sniffed once and began to gag, scooting away from Sasuke to the very edge of the stairs and glaring at the raven. "Before you get even within a ten foot radius of me, take a shower," Naruto growled. "Geez, even when I couldn't stay in a town, or hotel, for more than a week I didn't smell this bad..." Sasuke rolled his eyes and stood, looking to the now very abused log that looked like it would topple to the ground at any moment. "Fine. I'll be in the bathroom," he replied and rose to his feet, turning and heading up the last couple of steps into the dimmer, cooler house and starting to unwrap his already unraveling tape from his wrists while kicking off his shinobi sandals by the doorway into a bin full of muddy shoes.

Stepping further into the wooden home, Sasuke slowly made his way to the teak door that separated the bathroom from the rest of the home, entering the room and shutting the door to greet the bamboo themed bathroom before his eyes. The raven could never really understand why the plant covered the wall paper, made the sink and the border around the mirror, rimming the toilet seat, and the base of the shower while holding up panes of glass. He stripped slowly, eyeing the black robe he had hanging on the back of the door and then opened the door to his shower, the lower half of his body hidden from view by the bamboo panels and his torso exposed by the glass panes while he turned the water on.

For some reason, Sasuke resented hot showers. He couldn't stand the luke warm water running down his back and scalding his skin, but he could handle hot springs perfectly fine. It had never really perplexed the Uchiha, and he saw no reason to consider it strange...Setting the temperature to something akin to how rain would feel on a spring day, Sasuke turned so the spray would hit the back of his neck while he ran his hands through his hair. Shutting his eyes briefly, Sasuke listened closely over the sound of water droplets hitting wood to hear Naruto slowly making his way to his bedroom by the den, crutches hitting the ground a second before his feet, and then he continued the process until Sasuke heard a door shut gently. The raven sighed and pressed his forehead against the dripping glass panel in front of his face, palms curled into fists on either side of his head as the water hit his neck and back.

Sasuke had no idea how to handle being around Naruto now, he realized. Sure, they bantered and argued like they had before Sasuke, and subsequently, Naruto left..but there was a tension that the raven couldn't describe that lingered in the air when the two were around each other. Washing his hair with his shampoo, Sasuke breathed deeply and tried to keep his mind off of the blonde. But while he continued to scrub the dirt and swear from his skin, Sasuke found it near impossible to not think of Naruto. His mind always drifted back to finding that orange and black jacket in the woods three years ago, and as much as he had always hated to admit, Sasuke knew that he had been genuinely frightened by the mere idea of Naruto dead. He clenched his fists in locks of his hair as he combed through them with conditioner.

He would _not_ lose Naruto again.

Snorting softly as water managed to trickle into his nose, Sasuke turned and placed his hand on the water valve and slowly cut off the water, his skin beginning to feel the cold air of the bathroom as he opened the shower door and reached for a towel that was hanging on a towel rack on the opposite wall. Drying off, he wrapped the towel around his waist and grabbed a smaller towel to dry his hair. Then grabbing his bathrobe from the back of the door and removing the towels, he donned the robe and put his used towels into the basket he had designated for items such as them, then he picked up his discarded clothing and threw away the used tape. Opening the bathroom door, Sasuke stepped into the hallway and glanced towards Naruto's closed bedroom door before making his way to his own bedroom.

Once he had put his dirty clothing in the appropriate hamper, Sasuke leaned against his dresser and realized he had nothing going on today. _Great_, the Uchiha thought sarcastically once he realized that he indeed didn't have to do anything. Uchiha's always had a schedule, and they always stuck to that schedule. Sasuke without a set plan was like a zebra without stripes. He felt awkward and without purpose without an idea of what he wanted to do in a specific day. The raven had already completed the training he needed, and at most all he was going to do was eat lunch and he couldn't even go out to help rebuild because of Naruto staying in his home...Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitching already at the thought of simply sitting around and having nothing to do.

Sighing, he rested his cheek on his palm and stared at his closet door, racking his brain for something, anything, for himself to do. "I suppose I'll go read.." Sasuke muttered to himself finally after many minutes of contemplation, glancing out of his closed window as he walked forward the three steps needed to reach his bedroom door and stepped into the hall, going to the den and scouring the bookshelves inside for a decent scroll or book to peruse. Bending down, his onyx eyes landed on a scroll of Wind-style jutsus and, even though his chakra was not Wind based, the styles intrigued the raven and he decided to place the object in his palm and sat down on the leather couch in the middle of the room, untying the black ribbon around the parchment and letting it unfurl on his lap.

The Uchiha lost himself in the hand seals and chakra descriptions of the scroll, time passing seemingly instantly from the time he had lowered his head to read the hand-written characters on the parchment to the time that he heard a dull thump come from Naruto's room. Eyes snapping up to look at the television set, Sasuke hesitated as he waited to hear the noise again. For a few seconds, there was silence, and then he heard something that Sasuke could only describe as a cross between a groan and a snarl. Standing quickly, scroll falling to the floor and forgotten, Sasuke sprinted up the one stair that led into the den and thanking whatever powers that existed that his home only consisted of one hallway, he bolted in front of Naruto's room, knocking frantically on the door. "Naruto?" The raven called and waited anxiously for the blonde to go away. There was a rustle of clothing on the other side of the door, and a muffled voice eventually spoke. "...I'm fine," Naruto called shakily, and Sasuke could tell something wasn't right.

"Naruto, I'm coming in," Sasuke replied, but then there was a deep snarl on the other side of the wood as he placed his hand on the brass doorknob. "I said I'm fine!" Naruto snapped. "Just stay away for a bit." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, concern for the blonde warring with the acceptance that Naruto simply wanted to be left alone for a while...but eventually concern won out and he turned the handle, opening the door inward to find all the lights shut off and the shutters over the window drawn closed from the outside. "Naruto?" Sasuke asked softly, his eyes trailing to the bed by his left in the corner of the room. A figure shifted on the sheets in response. "...What part of 'go away' escapes you," Naruto's voice growled. Sasuke sighed and slowly made his way to the bed, and as he sat down on the mattress and put his palm by Naruto's huddled form, his fingers felt something wet and warm. Holding his hand up to his face in the dim lighting, Sasuke saw crimson painting his skin.

"Naruto! What the hell!" Sasuke shouted and sprang up, his right hand searching behind him on the wall to his left for the light switch and, once the ceiling light had turned on, he took in the sight of Naruto curled in a puddle of his own blood on the bed. "You are far from fine," Sauske ground out and helped Naruto turn over to lay on his back, and Sasuke quickly ripped the part of the kimono covering Naruto's chest away...but the stitches on his skin weren't open, the three gashes on Naruto's torso not raw and bleeding. In that context, Naruto was fine. But then his eyes traveled to the blonde's navel. The Shiki Fujin seal that covered Naruto's stomach was glowing a bright orange around the long slash that ran horizontally across his stomach. "Where did this come from?" Sasuke asked as he reached for the first aid kit he had thankfully put on the nightstand by Naruto's bed earlier. Naruto groaned in response while trying to glower at Sasuke.

"We just can't go one day without you having a problem, can we," Sasuke muttered as he tore strips of white bandaging into strips, dabbing at the gash and trying to clean up the blood. "Stop," Naruto suddenly said. Sasuke glanced up at the blonde to see his face contorted in concentration, sweat pouring down the blonde's brow and the raven heard a slight sizzling sound coming from under his frozen hands. Looking down, the Uchiha saw the skin surrounding Naruto's wound rippling like water, the skin inching back together and once each side touched, it began to knit itself back into one piece of flesh. Any sign of the wound ever existing, minus the blood, faded away into smooth, tan skin as Naruto breathed a sigh and Sasuke felt the blonde's body fall limp. "How did you do that?" He whispered after a few tense seconds. "...The damn fox likes to do that sometimes," Naruto replied lowly. Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "He'll...just attack me, I guess," Naruto apparently attempted to explain.

"It's hard to describe. He can take over me at points and injure me like that...but then I just pull on his chakra and heal myself..." "That's sick," Sasuke noted, his stomach twisting with the thought of a feral Naruto slashing at his own chest. "That's the Kyuubi," Naruto corrected shakily. "..." Sasuke breathed deeply as he gently pressed his palm against Naruto's forehead. "Is it anything we need to worry about too much?" He asked as he felt the skin under his palm burning up with fever. "No...the Kyuubi just thinks of it as a game." Swallowing his disgust, Sasuke remembered what his mother used to do when he was frightened or sick. Scooting closer so he was sitting by Naruto's neck, he rubbed his fingers in a soft circling motion on the blonde's forehead and in his hair while the Jinchūriki's breathing evened out.

"You're going to have to wash all of this off of you," Sasuke said, and his eyes trailed down the now very soiled sheets, and possibly mattress. He felt Naruto nod under his hand, but the blonde did not say anything as Sasuke reached out with his left hand to read some of the labels on the prescription bottles Sakura had dropped off with Naruto. "Feel better?" He asked after he had read over each one, and Naruto once more nodded. Standing and turning, Sasuke looked down on the blonde and saw that he made no move to join the raven. "Can you stand on your own, or do you need help," Sasuke asked. A determined look crossed Naruto's features. "I can do it on my own," the blonde replied and uncertainly began to shift his legs in the thin veil of blood they lay in over the side of the mattress, beginning to sit up. But then a hiss of air escaped the Jinchūriki's lips and his cerulean eyes snapped into slits, his fists closing on the edge of the mattress as Sasuke's palms shot out to grip his shoulders.

"You're still just as fucking stubborn," Sasuke muttered as he slipped his forearms under Naruto's armpits and lifted gently, allowing the blonde to put weight on his legs and, unbeknownst to them both, place his head on Sasuke's chest...barely. "I'm going to help you over to the shower. Did Sakura say anything about how you should clean off?" Sasuke asked as he managed to turn the blonde so his back was pressed against the raven's chest, the Uchiha's palms once more resting on Naruto's shoulders. "...Just don't let direct water hit the wounds," Naruto murmured. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure you're okay," he asked slowly. "You sound...ill." "It happens after the Kyuubi takes over for an extended period of time Sasuke. I'm used to it." Sasuke snorted as he escorted the blonde out of the room. "Clearly, since you can barely stand and keep your eyes open."

"Watch it Uchiha. I could just as easily snap and rip your throat out."

Sasuke chuckled quickly, knowing Naruto didn't mean it as they entered the still slightly steamy bathroom. "Do you need help...getting undressed," Sasuke barely hesitated, "or do you want me to leave." Naruto shook his head once Sasuke stopped them in front of the door of the shower. "Then I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," Sasuke responded and stepped back slowly, making sure Naruto could stand as he did so, then turned once he was in the doorway and gently shut the door behind himself.

* * *

**Naruto**

_God dammit. God dammit_. Naruto repeated that phrase like a mantra as he peeled the now bloody kimono from the rest of his torso and grimaced as his muscles protested the action while he flung the clothing to the floor. Completely disregarding Sasuke's dirty clothes basket, mind you. Turning to the shower, Naruto shuffled slowly towards the glass and bamboo door, not even caring that his boxers were still on because, quite frankly, it would hurt like a bitch to get them off. Just because Naruto had healed the wound the Kyuubi had caused didn't mean he didn't still _feel_ it, and as Naruto turned the water to scalding temperatures, he decided that this one was the worst the fox had done to date. Feeling the bullet-like sprays hitting his back, Naruto stared at his feet as he watched crimson water pour down his torso and legs, pooling onto the floor of the shower and swirling into the drain like a vortex.

Thoughts raced through his mind as he kept imagining the terror he had seen in Tsunade's face, moments before she had been flung away from his frozen body in that cold medical room. Flinching, Naruto absentmindedly placed his palm over his stomach while he gazed out of the glass of the shower to the opposite wall, where Sasuke had two white towels hanging on a silver towel rack. The blonde didn't particularly feel like washing his hair, and since he hadn't had a decent shower like this since he had left Konoha and most likely the nurses at the hospital had cleaned him up, Naruto didn't feel a driving need to do anything other than wash his own blood off his skin and try to not think about how horrible of a mistake he had made trying to come back into Konoha.

The blonde growled under his breath and slammed his fist gently against the glass pane in front of him. "I left to save them all, dammit..." He whispered brokenly. But even when he sacrificed everything to ensure his village was safe, he just had to go and fuck it all up by having even the slightest hope that Tsunade could have an idea on how to stop the Kyuubi from taking over his mind and body. _Because Gaara sure as hell didn't_, the blonde thought scathingly. Bowing his head and closing his eyes, he felt water drip into his eyelashes and didn't even bother to blink them away as tears soon joined the droplets. Clenching his teeth, Naruto tried to keep a sob from escaping his lips because in this small house, Sasuke was sure to hear the blonde even try to breathe, if he was loud enough. Allowing nothing more than a small whimper to part his lips, Naruto watched as the water below his feet gradually turned from red to clear, pure water running down his body once more and he knew that he was done.

Shutting the water off, Naruto once more began his task of shuffling out of the shower and slowly, achingly, drying his hair and most of his body with a towel. But he couldn't bend over to get his legs because of the damn stitches in his chest, so for a while Naruto stood in the bathroom, frustrated, holding a damp towel in his hand and water dripping down his shins and ankles. That's when he realized he didn't have any clothes to wear either. "Fuck," Naruto swore and fought the urge to punch the wall as he realized he'd have to walk out, half naked, to ask Sasuke for some clothing. Grumbling about how unfair the universe was to him, the Jinchūriki tentatively wrapped his cold, wet towel around his waist and over his boxers, making sure it was tucked securely so it wouldn't fall as he shuffled towards the bathroom door and pulled it open, greeting a grey and russet wolf with white paws in front of his feet.

Snorting softly, Naruto managed to lean down to pat the creature's head. "Guarding me?" He asked quietly in amusement, and Kya seemed to nod. "Would you mind telling Sasuke that I don't have anything to cover my gorgeous self with," he asked. Then smiled as Kya rose to all fours (she had been crouched in front of the doorway) and pad off to the kitchen. Naruto rolled his eyes at the comment he had made about himself, but who was he to deny that he was almost like a walking sex god. Moments later, Sasuke appeared in his line of sight with a pair of black sweatpants and tank-top in his right hand. "What's with you and this color," Naruto muttered as he reached out for the clothing and took them from Sasuke's palm. Sasuke snorted and crossed his arms. "Be grateful I'm not making you wear the dress Ino left here one time," the raven muttered. Naruto arched an eyebrow at the mention of the blonde kunochi.

"You two...?"

Sasuke's eyes widened at the mention. "Oh Kami no," he said. "She and Sakura had been watching the house for me while I was on a mission." "Sure," Naruto said, rolling his eyes as he turned to enter the room, but not before Sasuke's palm pressed to his forehead again. "You still have a fever," the Uchiha noted softly, and Naruto felt a blush creep to his cheeks, oddly. "I told you, it just happens. It's fine," Naruto replied roughly, but even as he tried to move away from Sasuke, the raven stepped with him and into the doorway of the bathroom. "As soon as you're done you're getting into bed," the raven said. "In case you haven't noticed Sasuke, but my bed looks like someone was murdered in it," Naruto retorted. "Then you'll sleep in mine."

Naruto scoffed at that suggestion. He opened his mouth to say that he'd rather sleep next to an erupting volcano, and Sauske cut him off before he had the chance. "In case you forgot, I'm in charge of your wellbeing until Sakura and I decide it's safe for you to go out on your own," Sasuke said. "Yes, mother," Naruto said scathingly and noticed Sasuke _still_ had his hand on his forehead. "I would sort of like you to be out the room while I get dressed." Sasuke shrugged, and Naruto knew there wasn't really a point to the privacy he requested, but regardless he felt better once the raven had stepped into the hallway and shut the door. Looking down at the clothing in his hand, Naruto suddenly realized that he had no idea how he was going to get into his pants without bending down...which he was unable to do.

"Shit."

* * *

**Obito**

"We are almost there," Obito noted as he looked up at the blue afternoon sky, puffy clouds towering into the expanse of air. Madara nodded by his side. "I hear that Kyuubi Jinchūriki has stopped going on that killing rampage of his," the elder Uchiha noted. Obito snorted. "If the Kyuubi doesn't kill him, we have to ensure he comes under our control before that occurs." "I'm aware," Madara said smoothly as Zetsu appeared from a tree to Obito's left. "Surprising news," the half pure white, half midnight black man said. Both Uchiha's stopped in their stride within the forest to listen in on the creature. "I just watched that Sasuke kid training...and the Kyuubi brat was there. Apparently he's come back to Konoha."

Obito couldn't keep a demented grin from reaching his lips. "Excellent," Madara stated. "And...it appears the Kyuubi was able to break free and destroy half the village already." Satisfaction rippled through Obito as he looked up at the treetops once more. "We'll kill two birds with one stone then," he murmured. "Destroy Konoha and take its beloved Jinchūriki right before the villagers' eyes." Madara nodded again. "You seem happy to destroy that place," the raven noted as Zetsu faded back into the tree trunk. "I don't care about it anymore," Obito replied simply as he looked back at Minato, the only one of their soldiers not traveling under-ground.

"There's a difference between not caring and wanting it gone." "I have one goal only in this, Madara," Obito replied with a rare snarling hinted in his tone. "And that is to get someone very close to me back. And I will get revenge on the one who...killed...her. I don't care what has to be demolished in the process." Madara chuckled. "That's the determination I like to see," the Uchiha murmured. Obito stared straight ahead as they walked as if they were just taking a leisurely stroll through a park instead of going to completely eradicate a nation from existance.

_I will find you...Rin._

* * *

Holy crap! This chapter was a lot longer than I expected! This is officially the longest chapter I have written to date...and I kinda like it, oddly...but anyways, sorry my updates have been short and few, I've had so much schoolwork piled onto me, it's like my teachers think it's the end of the world and they need to cram as much knowledge into my head as possible. Anyways, I don't plan on taking so long to update anymore and so until next time, enjoy this chapter :)


	21. Sakura the Match-Maker

Oh my god guys. Twenty chapters! I want to thank all of you so much for your support and all of your lovely reviews up to this point, you have no idea how grateful I am for the amount of appreciation I get for my work :)

I always read every single review as soon as it comes in, and I cannot express how happy I get when I even just read something that says "nice work", because it means you, you specific reader somewhere in this world, appreciate my story and, to an extent, me. And it just makes me so happy! If I could I'd come find every single one of you and give you the biggest hug you've ever gotten in your life...but that requires effort, which I sadly don't feel like using.

So I'll give you this chapter and many more to come instead. I love you all very much and I can't wait to see what my mind has in store for all of us! Myself included because half the time I have no idea what I'm writing down, whether it be in notebooks at school or random writing on the computer, soooo...thank you so much again! Believe it! (lol fail.)

~Astridelta

* * *

Sakura the Match-Maker

**Sasuke**

After twenty minutes of trying to convince Naruto that three years around _Kakashi_ had not corrupted his mind and soul (at least, Sasuke was pretty sure the Jonin hadn't...), the blonde allowed Sasuke to help him dress in the clothes the raven had previously given him and escort him to the raven's bedroom. An idea that didn't particularly appeal to Sasuke since he had never let any human being into his room before...but since Naruto would soon be able to cook a steak on his forehead, he knew Naruto needed his rest and the couch in the den simply wouldn't cut it.

That didn't mean Sasuke enjoyed it though.

Steering the blonde through the doorway to his room, Sasuke gingerly navigated Naruto through the narrow gap between his dresser and the wall to his black-covered bed, finally lowering the blonde gently onto the black sheets and helping the blonde scoot back so his back was pressed against Sasuke's pillows and the wall. "Lift your feet," Sasuke commanded and as Naruto did so, he retrieved the blankets from underneath Naruto and placed them atop the blonde's legs, drawing the covers up to Naruto's chest as the blonde shifted forward and laid down. Leaving briefly, Sasuke made his way to the guest bedroom, where he retrieved a green, clear prescription bottle labeled "Zolpidem"* and weighed it in his palm, eying the distorted tablets in the container quickly and glaring at the now drying blood on Naruto's sheets, deciding that he should put those in the washer. before heading to the kitchen and getting a glass of water.

Then the Uchiha made his way back to his dim bedroom, where Naruto lay staring at the ceiling with his arms over the blankets and folded over his stomach. "Take one of these," Sasuke instructed once Naruto noticed the raven was in the room once more. "What is it," the blonde replied as Sasuke poured one white pill into his left palm and held it out to Naruto. "It's supposed to help you sleep," Sasuke explained as Naruto took the medicine from his hand, looking at it curiously with half-lidded blue eyes. Nodding once, Naruto brought his palm to his mouth and Sasuke extended the glass of water in his right hand to the Jinchūriki, who took it and swallowed a quick gulp of water to bring the pill down his mouth, and Sasuke's eyes unconsciously followed the movement of Naruto's jaw and throat as he did so. Sitting on the mattress, Sasuke stared at the picture of Team 7 he had on the bedstand as he placed Naruto's water by it, listening to Naruto's breathing slowly even out into the tell-tale signs of unconsciousness, and the light breeze that stirred outside the open window.

Folding his arms over his lap, Sasuke leaned forward as he appraised the picture, as he had many times in the past, scrutinizing the faces of himself and his teammates...and actually finding something different each time his obsidian eyes flicked over their frozen forms. This time around, Sasuke noticed the slight tension in Kakashi's arms as he patted Naruto's and his own heads in exhasperation, hinting the Jonin had been more stressed than the three younger members had previously thought. When Sasuke looked over at Sakura he saw the worry that littered her stance, holding her loose fists up to her mouth and a happy smile on her face, but he could tell she was worried about the two boys on either side of her. As always, Sasuke looked to himself first, despite already knowing what he had been feeling that day (particularly boredom and annoyance), but in light of all that he still managed to see the respect and caring he was beginning to show to his Genin team.

Then his eyes finally landed on Naruto.

The blonde remained an enigma, as always. Sasuke narrowed his eyes while glaring at the young teen's annoyed scowl, crossing his orange-covered arms over his chest as he directed his irritation at Sasuke. Sighing, Sasuke examined Naruto's face closer than he had for any other team member and found that he still could not decipher what floated in those normally open azure orbs. Glancing back at the current Naruto, Sasuke sighed and shook his head while letting his gaze roam over Naruto's sleeping features. "Why can't I read you," he whispered. Of course, no answer came to him while Naruto's light breathing filled the room. The Jinchūriki remained impassive even as Sasuke slowly, so as not to wake the blonde up, lowered his head to an empty pillow next to Naruto and swung his legs over the side of the mattress, turning to his left so he could face the sleeping blonde, who'd own features were turned to the ceiling.

Sasuke knew it was weird of him to just willingly get into a bed with Naruto. Hell, even when they were on Team 7 the raven refused almost any contact with the blonde except for when they were training...but even then, the Uchiha felt a pressing urge to be close to him. "Why can't I ever get something right," Sasuke murmured to himself. _If only I had never left...Naruto wouldn't have left Konoha! _Or...would he still have? The Jinchūriki left to save the village as a whole..while Sasuke left for his own, admittedly selfish, reasons. Clenching his fist on his chest, Sasuke released a deep breath he didn't realize he was holding as it truly dawned on him that Naruto was here, safe (for the most part) and back in the village. Sasuke's mission here was technically...done. He could leave Konoha, he had no debt to pay to her now. He had protected it for Itachi and he had waited for Naruto...he could go find Juugo and Suigetsu.

But Sasuke knew deep in his heart that if he did that, everything he had worked for in the past three years would be broken.

It wasn't like six years ago when his only true friend was Naruto. Now he had people who genuinely cared about him and Sasuke could even go so far as to call them his _family_. Growling under his breath, Sasuke turned over onto his stomach and buried his face in his black pillow, wrapping his fingers around the edges of it and groaning in frustration. He didn't know what to do...and it scared him. Glancing up at Naruto once more, he felt those worries melt away and suddenly felt them replaced by something different, something...

_Warm._

Sasuke's eyes widened by a fraction when his heart jolted at the sight of Naruto sleeping peacefully. "...I'm sorry," Sasuke whispered to the tan features. "I'm sorry I left you.." Cursing himself mentally, Sasuke knew the apology was heartfelt and while he gingerly leaned forward, the raven realized almost too late what was going on. His forehead brushing Naruto's, he saw his own onyx bangs contrast with Naruto's sunshine yellow, his lips inches from brushing the Jinchūriki's. And Sasuke realized that was exactly what he had meant to do. _Shit! Shit...what the hell was that?! _Sasuke thought in a panic, too shocked to move as he stared down at Naruto, who had no knowledge of what Sasuke was about to do. _He does look rather cute from this angle, _a voice that sounded annoyingly like Sakura's murmured in the Uchiha's head while he continued to stare dumbly at Naruto.

_C'mon, just one kiss wouldn't kill you. _Sasuke closed his slightly parted lips and grit his teeth. _I don't even like him like that, _he replied, but the fact that he couldn't tear himself from the warmth under his forehead was betraying that statement. _Uh-huh, _the voice snorted, and Sasuke felt himself descend a little closer onto Naruto's lips, soft breaths escaping the blonde's mouth and brushing against Sasuke's nose. His brain shut down as he panicked, trying to reason with himself that this was wrong. _I've barely gotten him back for a day! _He screamed silently. _Maybe you've realized something about him in this day that you never knew you felt about him before. _Sasuke contemplated what he himself had said, then figured that since Naruto was asleep...he would never know. Closing the distance between himself and Naruto, Sasuke gently planted his lips on the blonde's.

It almost seemed like fireworks had exploded on the backs of Sasuke's eyelids as he closed them, feeling Naruto's warm lips beneath his own and he shifted slightly so now he was hovering over Naruto, his arms on either side of the blonde's head and knees pressed into the mattress by Naruto's hips. A small moan suddenly left Sasuke's lips at the odd, yet almost addicting taste, of Naruto's lips, and he felt himself want slightly more. Naruto's lips remained parted, and that made it easier for Sasuke to slip his tongue inside of the blonde's mouth and gently coax it past the Jinchūriki's teeth, feeling the blonde shift slightly so his lips wrapped around the intruding organ.

Then Sasuke's eyes snapped open, almost comically, as he remembered this was Naruto he was kissing.

Pushing himself away, Sasuke sprung to his feet by the side of the bed, breathless, as he looked down at the still unconscious blonde and felt his lips tingling from the loss of contact. Panting, Sasuke tried to calm his racing heart and knew it was futile, because all he could think of was Naruto. While he stared down at the blonde...he came to a realization that he had been trying to avoid for the past six years.

_I'm in love with Naruto._

* * *

**Sakura **

_(Two days later)_

"Hm.." Sakura murmured to herself as she walked amongst the aisles of clothing, tapping her finger on her chin as she contemplated something very, very important.

What was Naruto going to wear.

Sakura was a woman on a mission, patrolling the rows of clothes like a shark hunting for her next meal, eyes prowling until she landed her sights on something. Grinning, she briskly walked over to it and plucked it from the shelf, admiring the orange and black that she last remembered Naruto wearing. But this outfit had less contrasting boldness and was more mature, consisting of a tight orange tank-top with a black stripe running down the middle, similar to Naruto's old jacket, and a pure black jacket that seemed it would cut off at the joint of the elbow, and black sweatpants made of a durable material suitable for training. Picking out some black shinobi sandals to match, Sakura smiled to herself as she just _knew_ she had made the perfect choice for Naruto. Maybe the amount of black was a little too much...but the color always flattered any figure, the rosette supposed as she ordered more of the outfit at the cashier counter and bought the one in her hand.

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura called as she knocked on the door, a plastic bag in her hand and her red Chinese-style dress that she wore when she wasn't on duty fluttering in the warm spring breeze that filled the air. Footsteps echoed dimly on the inside of the home, and Sakura smiled as she imagined Naruto in his new outfit. As she let her thoughts drift, the door slid open to reveal Sasuke poking his head through the small gap he had allowed with a glare on his face. "What," the raven hissed, and Sakura internally sighed at the bad mood he was in. "I have something for Naruto," the rosette replaced and braced herself for whatever rage Sasuke was going to throw her way. Sure enough, the Uchiha stiffened and Sakura saw fear (fear?) flash in those midnight eyes. But instead he nodded once, opening the door wider for Sakura to enter and as she did, she noticed the blonde in question pressed, or rather being pinned, to the wall to her left, two kunai pushing his clothing by his shoulders into the wall.

Sakura sighed in exasperation.

"What happened," she said and scooted past Sasuke to go release Naruto from his prison. "He keeps insisting on going out into the village," the Uchiha muttered while Sakura set her package down and went to work dislodging the kunai from Naruto's tattered kimono. Naruto scowled in response, and Sakura chuckled, but the amusement was short lived as she found it difficult to remove one blade from the wall. Finally managing to dislodge one, the rosette set herself onto the other kunai while Naruto rolled his right shoulder. "What did you do Sasuke-kun, drive this thing into the wall with a hammer?" The rosette muttered under her breath and didn't bother to look and see if the Uchiha had actually heard her, while Naruto was busy trying to help the kunochi and ultimately ended up ripping the kimono from the kunai. "Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, and she could almost hear Sasuke's palm smack against his forehead as Sakura tugged on the blade again.

"Sorry," the blonde apologized sheepishly. Sakura glowered in response. "Tsunade-sama paid for those," she ground out and, if she had been slightly less nature, she would have hit the blonde. "Then I'll pay her back." Naruto shrugged. "With what money," Sasuke asked from behind the two. "I had to make some to stay alive didn't I," Naruto countered to the both of them, and Sakura rolled her eyes while bending to retrieve her bag and shoving it into Naruto's arms. "Go put these on and I don't want to hear any complaints," she ordered, the blonde scowling, most likely at the fact that he was being ordered around, and shuffled off to the guest bedroom. "He's doing better than I expected," Sakura commented once the door had shut behind the blonde and she had turned to face Sasuke. "Hn," the raven grunted and looked to his right, refusing to make eye contact.

Sakura looked up at the ceiling and crossed her arms, an awkward silence filling the hallway. "So...how've you been," Sakura asked. "Fine." was Sasuke's curt reply. Sakura narrowed her eyes and glowered at the Uchiha. "Did something happen Sasuke-kun?" The rosette asked, and Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. "...What makes you think that?" He asked slowly, as if considering each single word before he spoke them. "Well, mainly the fact you're acting like you have a stick shoved up your ass, and you seem a little bit paranoid," Sakura noted. "I'm fine," Sasuke repeated, attempting to end the conversation. "Did Naruto do something?" Sakura pressed on, wanting to get to the bottom of why Sasuke was acting like a bigger prick than usual.

"Nothing is wrong!" Sasuke growled and glared at his teammate. Allowing herself a small inward smile at the victory, Sakura uncrossed her arms and leaned back against the wall. "Are you sure?" She asked innocently and tapped her foot on the floor. "Yes." Sakura rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to continue when Naruto's door opened and his blonde hair poked out of the doorway. "Come on out Naruto," she called then, silently promising herself she would get to the bottom of Sasuke's bad attitude later. Slowly, since apparently the blonde could now walk slightly without the crutches Sakura had given him, Naruto appeared before the two of them.

Sakura's jaw nearly dropped.

The tank top fit the blonde perfectly, the black stripe running from the middle of his collarbone to the hem of the shirt. The black jacket did indeed cut off at Naruto's elbow, and fell almost like a trench-coat down to the back of the blonde's thighs. His black sweatpants rippled down to his ankles, where they met the boot-like sandals, which again, fit Naruto perfectly. And right now, Sakura was almost physically restraining herself from throwing herself at the Jinchūriki like a rabid fangirl.

Likewise, Sasuke seemed stunned by Naruto's appearance while Sakura escaped her trance-like state to look at his reaction. His obsidian eyes were wide and glued on Naruto's lithe form, roaming over every inch of the blonde's body almost hungrily. Naruto, for his part as Sakura looked back to him, was watching the both of them curiously, azure eyes shifting from Sakura to Sasuke and back again. But he wasn't acting self-conscious about it; if anything, the stance the blonde took almost screamed "I dare you to rip these clothes off me!"

And Sakura wanted to take the blonde up on that offer very badly.

Finally, she coughed and broke the tense quiet. "Uh...you look nice, Naruto," the rosette commented, and the Jinchūriki smiled slightly. "Thank you, Sakura," he replied quietly. She nodded and broke herself for good from the stupor that she was in (after all, she had always considered Naruto to be like a brother) and turned once more to Sasuke. "Well Sasuke-kun?" She asked and eyed the raven curiously as his eyes remained on Naruto. "Hm?" Sasuke managed to tear his gaze from the blonde and glanced at Sakura. "What do you think?" She elaborated slowly, as if talking to a child. And judging the Uchiha's reaction time right now, it felt like she was. Sasuke seemed to swallow, as if his mouth had gone dry, and nodded once. "At least the clothes actually fit him," he muttered and turned away while placing a hand under his nose.

"That's it?" Naruto said and scowled. "No, 'Hot damn Naruto' or 'I'd tap that'?" "You're the last thing I'd want to 'tap'," Sasuke growled, but as Sakura glanced around the raven's shoulder and saw the blood dripping from his nose, she knew that his body was saying the exact opposite. A grin split her lips as she realized what was wrong with Sasuke. "Naruto, do me a favor and go out to the backyard for a bit," she said and waved him away. "Huh?" The blonde said in confusion and turned to look at her. "It'd be good for your muscles to get out into the fresh air and move around," she said. "What-" "Go," she interrupted and again waved him off. With a sigh, Naruto turned and shuffled towards the back door, eventually flinging it open and shutting it behind himself once he had reached the outside.

"I know what your issue is," Sakura said instantly in a sing-songy voice and clasped her arms in front of her stomach. Sasuke turned to face her with his sleeve and the under part of his nose dyed red. "What?" He asked in confusion as the kunochi went to stand in front of him. "You like Naruto," Sakura said and smiled slightly.

The reaction she got from Sasuke was _not_ what Sakura expected in the slightest.

His eyes widened comically and his breathing sharpened while his torso stiffened. "How.." Was all he seemed to whisper. "Come on. You got a nose-bleed just from looking at him," Sakura said. "...It's just hormones, I guess," Sasuke countered. "Are hormones making you act like I just caught you in the middle of a crime scene?" Sasuke looked away. Sakura tried to lean forward and connect her eyes with his. "How long have you...?" "I don't want to talk about it, Sakura," Sasuke snapped and then his eyes met hers, angry and slightly terrified at the same time. Stepping back, the raven turned and went to the back door, supposedly to go make sure Naruto didn't kill himself doing something stupid.

The slam that Sakura heard from him told her she most likely wasn't welcome at the present time either.

Sighing, the rosette crossed her arms and shook her head. Okay, so maybe she _had_ goaded Sasuke a little too far, but if the raven had a...little crush going, then Sakura wanted to know about it, dammit! Smiling, she turned and let herself out of the front door, and as she made her way down the narrow alley she turned to look at Sasuke's house. _Maybe once we get Naruto healed...I can start playing match-maker, _the rosette thought teasingly and hummed to herself while she rounded the corner.

* * *

**Naruto**

As the little confrontation between Sasuke and Sakura took place, Naruto was busy just walking in circles in the middle of the grassy backyard, arms clasped behind his back while he watched his feet move methodically past each other, again and again. _I wonder what Sakura's rush was,_ the blonde thought worriedly. He knew that Sakura had sent him outside so she could talk to Sasuke alone, but what about? She already could tell that he could walk and shit. Maybe she had a question about his prescriptions or something.

Getting tired of just walking aimlessly, Naruto paused and glanced over at Kya's empty rock den, and then the small koi pond set in the corner of the yard. The blonde made his way over to it slowly, seeing two black koi fish swimming in the blueish grey depths of the pool. Sitting down with a small grunt, Naruto kept his cerulean gaze trained on one of the kois while focusing on his breathing, closing his eyes and deciding to meditate. Feeling the natural energy buzzing thorugh his veins, Naruto folded his legs and placed his arms on his thighs, hands loose on his kneecaps as he listened to the bubbling of the pond and the very distant sounds of the village that he was forbidden from entering.

Annoyance tugged at Naruto's mind as he thought of how over-protective Sasuke was being. The blonde understood that he couldn't enter the village, and in fact, the only time he had actually _wanted_ to go was to see if Tsunade was all right! But now Sasuke was just getting ridiculous. He tucked Naruto into his bed every night like the blonde was a child, he was there in the morning, _way_ before Naruto actually wanted to get up mind you, and would try to help Naruto get out of bed even if he could do that just fine on his own. The Jinchūriki's breakfast was prepared for him (which he actually didn't mind, but felt like complaining about anyways), and the worst part of Naruto's dilemma?

Whenever Naruto was just watching tv or sitting around, Sasuke came around and _hugged_ him.

Like, seriously, what the hell? Where was this clingy Sasuke when Naruto actually wanted him around six years ago? The raven was there, wherever Naruto turned, and most often as soon as he did he was met with the solid chest and warm arms of the supposed stoic Uchiha, but Naruto wasn't sure Sasuke was deserving of that title anymore. Sighing aloud, Naruto tried to keep his mind off of the raven but found it difficult because even in his head, Sasuke was there and the blonde could have sworn he heard the Uchiha shout "I don't want to talk about it..!" _Fine then, don't tell me why you're being a clingy bastard,_ Naruto thought dryly...and then jumped about a foot in the air with a yelp as the back door opened and closed with an extremely loud slam. _  
_

Glaring over his shoulder, Naruto saw Sasuke stalk down the steps and approach him at an extremely fast rate with a glare on his features and an aura that said "I dare you to piss me off even more, motherfucker". Naruto gulped and silently cursed Sakura for setting the wrath of Uchiha Sasuke upon him. "What the hell? You made me jump out of my skin!" Naruto yelled when Sasuke stopped behind him, overshadowing the blonde and blocking out the sun. _Jesus Christ, what is your problem? _"Forget it," Sasuke muttered and moved to sit next to Naruto. Once again too close for comfort as his bicep brushed Naruto's and stayed there.

"...Uh, you're acting like you want to murder a kitten and you're telling me to forget it," Naruto pointed out, and Sasuke's head turned extremely slowly to glare at him. The Jinchūriki could have sworn he saw the raven's eyebrow twitch slightly. Snapping his own gaze forward, Naruto decided to ignore the storm until it blew past and shut his eyes, once more focusing on his meditation, which as he had learned, helped to keep the Kyuubi from tearing his insides out...metaphorically and realistically. Sasuke seemed to sigh and the warmth of his arm left Naruto's as he seemed to lay back in the grass.

_Stop losing focus,_ Naruto scolded himself and decided to feel the flow of natural chakra in the ground, allowing himself to enter sage mode, but just barely so he could gather the chakra and feel it, not noticing the other living creatures that surrounded him and their emotions. Letting the energy flow through his body freely, Naruto felt like he could leap up and jump over the moon, if it weren't for the three long scratches on his abdomen, but who has the time for little details like that.

But apparently he did, because the next time he opened his eyes was when a finger lightly tapped his shoulder and the blonde looked past it to see Sasuke sitting up and looking at him curiously. "It's almost seven," the raven noted, and Naruto looked up to see that, indeed, the mid-noon sky he had last seen had vanished and was replaced with the firey orange and yellow of dusk. "Oh...yeah," he replied and moved to stand when Sasuke suddely picked him up under his arms and brought him to his feet...again crushing the blonde to his chest in the process. "Uh, thanks," the blonde muttered while his arms were held at his sides by Sasuke, who, as Naruto had just noticed, was still just a few inches taller than him.

_Dammit_.

"I already made dinner, so come inside when you're ready," Sasuke said and released Naruto, instantly turning and moving to the deck and stepping inside. Naruto arched an eyebrow, but decided not to comment as he followed the raven with the promise of food.


	22. The return of Namikaze Kitsune

The return of Namikaze Kitsune

**Sasuke**

"Naruto, hurry up. Sakura is expecting you in forty minutes."

"That's easily twenty minutes of downtime! Let me get dressed and-"

"You're not even _dressed_?! What the hell!"

"Shut up and stop mothering me!"

Sasuke sighed and leaned his forehead on Naruto's door, a headache beginning to grow and he fought the urge to barge into the room, grab the most-likely-half naked-blonde, and drag his ass out the door. The blonde never ceased to confuse Sasuke; three more days had passed since Sakura had brought his new clothes to the raven's home and since then, Naruto insisted on walking around in either shorts or boxers, but never a shirt. "Sakura bought those clothes for a reason, dumbass!" Sasuke yelled again and stepped back, hearing a thump on the other side of the door as Naruto threw some object at it.

"I'm getting to it, just chill your tits!" _Chill my tits.._Sasuke thought and rolled his eyes. "With or without you, I am leaving in ten minutes," the Uchiha called and smirked when he heard the blonde shout in exasperation. "Ten minutes! Come on, it doesn't take more than twenty to get to the hospital!" Naruto whined and his bedroom door opened, his blonde head peeking out from between the gap with a (cute) pout on his face. Sasuke shook his head slightly to clear the images of how he would wipe that look off the blonde's face. "Normally yes, but we have to make sure no-one sees you," the Uchiha growled. "I know how to hide, Sasuke," Naruto countered and, to Sasuke's pleasant surprise, stepped out of his room fully clothed.

"From people who know your chakra signature?" Sasuke retorted. "Yeah, actually. Remember the library?" Sasuke's knowing smirk fell into a frown as he recalled that, yes, he had been right in front of Naruto and hadn't even recognized his voice, let alone chakra. Naruto's face lit up into a bright grin of victory. "I knew it! So for once you don't know everything!" The Jinchūriki crowed. "Stuff it," Sasuke growled and turned to stalk to the den. "Geez, even when we were kids you didn't have such a superiority complex," the Uchiha heard the blonde mutter. "People change you know," Sasuke replied and fought back a grimace as he heard Naruto's feet follow him into the dim room. "Why are you following me?" The raven asked as he picked out a book and sat down on the couch while Naruto retrieved the remote.

"Maybe I wanted to watch tv," Naruto replied and rolled his eyes. Sasuke sighed and looked down to the black characters in his lap, trying to hide the confusion that was attempting to seep into his expression. Naruto was acting more and more normal every day. In fact, the blonde maniac that had tried to rip Sasuke to shreds when the raven had first discovered him in the woods almost seemed like a bad nightmare than a fragment of Naruto's past. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw Naruto leaning back on the opposite side of the couch, left arm thrown over the edge of the leather and his right extending out with the remote in his palm, blue eyes narrowed as he analyzed the stations on the screen.

More confusion swept through Sasuke when he thought of kissing Naruto. The blonde wasn't even aware it had happened, and yet whenever Sasuke so much as touched his arm, the Jinchūriki would glare at him. Sighing, Sasuke returned his eyes to his book and heard Naruto pause in his random clicking of buttons. "Alright, what's up," the blonde said in annoyance and put the remote on the coffee table. "Hm?" Sasuke asked and looked up from his novel, which in all honesty...he was paying no attention to. "You keep sighing and moping around like a kicked puppy," Naruto explained and crossed his arms while turning to sit cross-legged on the couch facing the raven.

"I'm fine," Sasuke replied and put his book next to the remote. _If you consider being in love with your best friend fine, _he thought scathingly in his head. "Uh-huh," Naruto said out loud and scowled. "Sasuke, you know how I chased after you for three years...yeah?" Sasuke looked to the floor. "I don't talk about that, Naruto." "Oh well," Naruto countered. "If you won't, I will. Sasuke, I pretty much presented my heart out on a silver platter for you. I showed you all of my emotions, most of my power..." Naruto paused to chuckle to himself, "And even when you weren't around, I still pushed myself and trained as if I was competing with you. And I was...in a way. I was competing to show you that you were wrong. And that _I_ was right.

"And so if something is bothering you, I want you to tell me. Because we haven't talked properly in _six years_, and by some miracle we aren't acting like complete strangers around each other right now. So...you know? Let it out if something's on your mind." A tense silence enveloped Sasuke and Naruto as all the raven could hear was his heart furiously pounding in his ears while he tried to look at anything except Naruto. The blonde, for his part, was busy trying to make eye contact and failing miserably when Sasuke looked at the paused television, crossing his arms over his chest, saying in "Sasuke language" that he had no intentions of continuing the conversation.

Now it was Naruto's turn to sigh, and the blonde ended up scooting far into Sasuke's "bubble", resting his chin on the raven's shoulder and staring at him while the Uchiha focused simply on his breathing and not letting his self-control fail him now. "You have no concept of personal space, do you," Sasuke muttered. "As if you do," Naruto retorted while Sasuke managed to lean forward and pick up his book once more. "I'm not going to talk Naruto, so you may as well get off." Naruto snorted and Sasuke felt the rush of air against his neck. "Nope. This is payback for getting me up at five fucking thirty in the morning."

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke flipped open to the page he had been on while Naruto continued to stare at the Uchiha's profile, and the raven tried his hardest to ignore his companion while reading but found it extremely difficult with the blonde, literally, breathing down his neck. And over the next twenty minutes, Sasuke felt his resolve slowly crumbling and the urge to slam the book down on the coffee table and kiss Naruto rising like a bird in flight. "We need to leave. Now," Sasuke finally managed to state without stuttering and shrugged Naruto's chin off his shoulder, to which the blonde loudly complained and said "I was asleep, dammit!" while standing at the same time as the raven.

You can sleep after physical therapy," Sasuke countered and made his way into the hallway while waving Kya to the back door. The wolf growled in annoyance and nipped at Sasuke's calf before turning and exiting the house while the raven paused by the front door, waiting for Naruto to stumble from the den. "I wanna sleep now," Naruto muttered, but shoved his feet into his sandals nonetheless and Sasuke opened the door for the blonde, stepping out behind him and closing the front door, locking it. "Why are you so tired?" Sasuke asked as the two made their way down the small alleyway that was Sasuke's street. "Let's just say I didn't get a lot of sleep over the past three years," Naruto replied and clapped his hands together, forming a seal.

Sasuke was about to ask why Naruto would do that when the blonde's features suddenly morphed into someone he had seen once before. Blonde hair became dyed brown, the brunette overtaking the yellow like a slow wave while the whisker scars faded into Naruto's cheeks, his nose becoming slimmer and cheekbones a little more prominent. However, the former blonde's shockingly blue eyes remained, and Sasuke observed the transformation with a confused stare when Naruto turned his head to look at him while they entered a large crowd moving towards the main part of the village. "What's wrong?" Naruto asked sarcastically, his voice slightly higher than normal.

"How did you preform a henge without the smoke?" Sasuke asked, trying to wrap his brain around the technique, which he had never even _heard_ of until Naruto had done it. The blonde-turned-brunette shrugged and crossed his arms as they walked. "I made it up," he said simply. Then he looked up at the sky thoughtfully, tapping at his chin with his finger. "I just took away enough seals to change my outward appearance slightly. It's not like the Sexy no jutsu where I'm not only changing my face, but my body structure in entirety. It's like plastic surgery without the pain." Naruto laughed slightly and Sasuke nodded once.

"It definitely sounds like it comes into use," the Uchiha noted while they passed TenTen and Hinata, both girls nodding politely in his direction as they walked by. "Hinata and TenTen look well," Naruto said, not answering Sasuke's question, to the raven's annoyance. The brunette glanced over to see Sasuke trying to keep a scowl from crossing his face, and the raven heard him sigh. "Yeah, it comes in handy. Especially since the Kyuubi changed my outward appearance so drastically," the Jinchūriki drawled. "You look normal now though," Sasuke said absentmindedly...but then shock ran through him and his head whipped to the right to stare at Naruto in surprise while the brunette glanced over.

"You've been keeping up a henge all this time?" The Uchiha whispered in shock. "What? Would you rather me..." Naruto's image flickered, replaced with a feral snarl on his lips with elongated canine teeth, blood red eyes with vertical pupils, and thick scars on his cheeks, and then the brunette hair and clean face with blue eyes was back. "Look like that?" Sasuke looked away. "No. I'm just...curious as to how you've managed to maintain it for so long." "Sasuke, I'm like a walking chakra factory. I could keep a henge up for years if I needed to." "Hn." The two walked in silence to the hospital from that point up, save for when the pair passed some of their friends and Naruto noted how they looked slightly different or taller.

But when they had passed up Shikamaru, who was walking with Ino and Choji, the Jonin's eyes shifted ever so slightly in Naruto's direction, then back to Sasuke. The raven nodded once, barely noticable, and Shikamaru replied by snorting and closing his eyes, smiling lightly with his hands in his pockets while Ino and Choji asked him what was so funny as they walked away. "What was that about?" Naruto asked. "What?" Sasuke said in reply without looking at the brunette. "Shikamaru smiled. Last I remember, he never does that," Naruto elaborated. "I'm sure Choji said something that amused him..." Sasuke replied while looking up at the quickly approaching hospital. "But still," Naruto retorted as they entered the white building, and Sasuke quickly cut the brunette off by shoving him onto a white couch, pointing down at him.

"Stay there while I get Sakura," the Uchiha ordered. "And don't talk to anyone." "Yes ma'am," Naruto growled, and Sasuke rolled his eyes while he made his way to the receptionist's desk. The blonde woman sitting at the counter looked up from her furious typing at her computer and smiled lightly when she saw Sasuke approaching. "Ah, Sasuke-kun!" She greeted when he leaned against the white counter. "You're here for Sakura-chan, I assume?" "Yes," Sasuke replied and the secretary leaned over to an intercom, asking for Sakura to come to the first floor lobby and taking a sip of coffee. "Alright, she'll be right down," the blonde said and Sasuke nodded, turning to return to Naruto, who was staring at the hall that led deeper into the hospital with a serious expression on his face.

His blue eyes didn't waver when Sasuke passed in front of them to sit on the blonde's right side. "See something interesting?" The raven attempted to make the blonde speak by asking, but the brunette refused to so much as flinch, even when Sasuke poked his shoulder. He poked Naruto's arm again, harder, and shook the brunette's shoulder lightly. "Oi, Naruto," Sasuke whispered and leaned forward to peer into the Jinchūriki's eyes.

What he saw was alarming.

It was like watching the ripples of a lake; Naruto's eyes flickered from red to blue, his pupils dilating and the scars on his cheeks forming like a figure emerging from the fog and then fading back into his skin. Gripping Naruto's shoulder tightly, Sasuke glanced around at the murmuring patrons in the lobby to make sure no-one was watching Naruto's strange behavior, and then he returned his attention to the Jinchūriki. "Go away, Kyuubi," Sasuke muttered and, activating his sharnigan, saw Naruto's chakra flow and observed that some of the Kyuubi's orange and leaked into Naruto's blue. As soon as the raven spoke, the orange vanished and was replaced with the pure aqua, and Sasuke sighed in relief when he saw the blue in Naruto's eyes stabilize and the scars vanish again.

The brunette blinked rapidly, as if to clear his mind of something, and shook his head. "Thanks," he whispered. "Yeah," Sasuke replied and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "You're going to have to tell Sakura about that, you know," Sasuke murmured. "I came to Konoha to get better Sasuke," Naruto growled in reply. "Of course I'll tell Sakura what happened. She and Tsunade are the reasons I came back, so they could help me." A pang of hurt struck Sasuke's heart, despite the fact that the blonde didn't even know that he was even in Konoha and so wouldn't possibly have returned for him. _Now is not the time to be thinking about him like that, _the Uchiha growled in his mind while Naruto crossed his legs and shrugged his shoulder out of Sasuke's grip.

Glancing at the clock, Sasuke's mind drifted off to thoughts of his next mission, and possibly a promotion that Tsunade had brought up a few weeks earlier. Perhaps, if he were to reach ANBU status, he could become Naruto's guard until the blonde was able to defend himself properly..."...Oi, Sasuke! Sakura's here," Naruto whispered in Sasuke's ear, and the raven looked to the hall Naruto had been staring at to see Sakura making her way over to them, a white nurse coat covering her Jonin vest and black pants while her heels clicked on the ground. Her emerald eyes swiftly analyzed the lobby before landing on Sasuke, who nodded over to Naruto and she cocked an eyebrow, but only paused in her stride and waited for the two to come to her. "Come on," he said to Naruto and stood, turning to hold his hand out to the brunette, who took it to aid himself standing up.

And when the Jinchūriki's palm left Sasuke's, he missed its presence while they made their way past empty chairs and tables to the rosette. "Nice henge, I guess," Sakura commented when the pair stopped in front of her. "I know," Naruto chuckled and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I would have expected something a little more...boisterous," Sakura muttered and turned to lead the way into what Sasuke recognized as the extensive care and physical therapy unit. "Come on, I had no time to be so outrageous while I was gone," Naruto snorted. Sasuke and Sakura cast their gazes to the ground, Sasuke feeling tremendously hurt and guilty at the same time; hurt because he had spent the past three years thinking Naruto was dead, and guilty because he hadn't worked harder to find the blonde.

Naruto also seemed to realize his mistake when Sasuke saw his blue eyes trail over the both of them. "Uh...sorry," he said quietly, and Sakura nodded once while pushing open a door to reveal a room filled with colorful weight balls on metal racks, a mirror lining the wall on the opposite side and treadmills, along with various beds and doors on either side of the room. "Go lay down first," Sakura ordered and pointed to the first cot in front of them, to which the brunette complied and as he walked, his brown hair turned back to blonde and Sasuke saw the whiskers reappear on his cheeks. Turning, the rosette locked the door and the Uchiha followed her over to Naruto, where she sat down on a stool by his head.

"Take your shirt off," Sakura then said. Naruto did so, and Sasuke felt proud that he didn't have to look away while Sakura's slim fingers trailed over the pink scars on the blonde's chest...but he did feel jealous that she was the one touching him. "These seem to be knitting together nicely," the kunochi murmured under her breath. "Any trouble bending or twisting?" Naruto looked to his right, away from Sakura and Sasuke. "Yeah, a little," he replied. "Mostly just bending down..." "Okay," Sakura said, and then she began to press lightly on the middle scar. "Any pain or discomfort?" She asked. Naruto shook his head.

"How about here?" Sakura's index finger pressed down on the last scar by Naruto's hip. The Jinchūriki's face twisted into a scowl, but he made no comment when Sakura pushed harder. Sasuke noticed this, and went to the other side of the bed to kneel in front of Naruto's face. "You're supposed to tell her if it hurts," he whispered to the blonde, who was now positively glaring at Sasuke. "Anything?" Sakura asked softly. "It won't kill you to admit you're in pain, you know," Sasuke continued when Naruto started to grit his teeth. "Yeah, because you know everything about admitting to something," Naruto replied, but turned his head back to the ceiling. "Yeah, that hurts," he whispered, and Sasuke saw Sakura nod while glancing appreciatively at the raven.

"Here?" Sakura placed her palm over Naruto's heart and pressed down. Naruto shook his head. This continued for another five minutes; Sakura would press various parts of Naruto's wounds and the blonde would respond with either a nod or shake of his head. Eventually, Sakura stood and told Naruto to get off the bed and leave his shirt off. "I guess I'll start you off with some basic stretches," she said and walked over to a blue mat with a mirror in front of it. Shrugging off her medic coat, Sakura stood off to the right as Naruto joined her on her left side. "Okay, I want you to start by just doing this." Sakura lifted her left arm and arched it over her head, her thumb brushing her right ear as she leaned to the right with her legs spread for balance.

Naruto nodded and followed suit, and Sasuke crossed his arms as he watched the rosette run Naruto through a variety of stretches. "Do each one three times," Sakura ordered after a while and stopped demonstrating, stepping back to stand with Sasuke. "He's in more pain than he lets on," she whispered to the Uchiha as they watched the Jinchūriki carefully, each for their own reasons, of course. "Hn," Sasuke grunted. Then he remembered something. "Is Tsunade alright?" He asked quietly and tore his eyes from Naruto's (very muscular) back to look at Sakura. Her green eyes stayed on Naruto's form. "She's recovering well. The stab wound will take longer to heal because of how damaged her internal organs are, as well as the muscle structure," the rosette replied. "...I also asked her about the documents as soon as she woke up. Shizune will start looking for them in a couple of days."

"Why not now," Sasuke muttered, displeased with the time frame. "Because she's busy tending to Tsunade-sama," Sakura replied in annoyance. Sasuke nodded and looked back to Naruto, noting the grimace on the blonde's face as he looked at him through the mirror.

* * *

**Naruto**

"God dammit, I am so sore," Naruto complained as he and Sasuke entered the raven's house, the Uchiha supporting his upper body as he limped inside. "Maybe if you weren't trying to show off, you'd be feeling better right now," Sasuke growled in the blonde's ear when he had dispelled his henge and kicked off his sandals. "I did what I thought I was capable of, like Sakura said," Naruto replied angrily and let Sasuke half drag, half carry him to his bedroom. "No, you did what you thought would impress us," Sasuke replied in annoyance and once they had entered the small space, flung Naruto onto the bed. "Oi!" The blonde complained when his face connected with the pillow. Then Sasuke's hand gripped his upper arm and the Jinchūriki was met with a glass of water and a handful of pills in his face.

"Remember what Sakura ordered," Sasuke said, and his face seconded the rosette's attitude of "say the wrong thing and I will punch you". Rolling his eyes, Naruto took the items in each hand and swallowed the pills all at once, then the water in one swig. "Happy now, Nurse Uchiha?" He asked sarcastically once Sasuke had placed the glass back on the bedside table. "Yes. Now Sakura told you to sleep once you got home," Sasuke said and apparently missed the obvious jab at his pride. Scowling, Naruto refused to lay down and crossed his arms over his orange and black covered chest while Sasuke stared back.

And thus, the contest of wills began.

Onyx eyes held cerulean as the two men refused to obey the other. Naruto breathed deeply through his nose and focused on not letting Sasuke intimidate him, like the raven usually did in situations like these. Especially when the raven brought his ultimate weapon to the table; the Uchiha Death Glare. Naruto refused to flinch as Sasuke leaned forward so he was eye level with Naruto, a fierce snarl forming on the Uchiha's lips and the red of the sharnigan began to bleed into his black eyes. "...I'm not going to sleep," Naruto said quietly, forming his own glare. "It's only..." Naruto looked over at the digital clock on the bedside table, "Three thirty in the afternoon." "Then take a nap," Sasuke said with equal malice in his tone.

"No."

Sighing, Sasuke closed his eyes, and slowly stood erect with his hands clasped behind his back while he turned to walk away. _Wait, did I just...beat him? _Naruto thought, and a grin was forming on his lips as Sasuke turned swiftly and pounced on the blonde. "Gah!" Naruto exclaimed as his wrists were pinned on either side of his head and Sasuke held his legs down with his shins. "Sleep," the Uchiha ordered. "No," Naruto growled back and bucked up so his head connected with Sasuke's chest, attempting to throw the raven off...with no success. "And trying to wrestle me to sleep won't make it any better!" The blonde continued and struggled more while Sasuke shifted their bodies around slightly so his arms were wrapped around the Jinchūriki's and effectively restraining him, his chest pressed against the blonde's back.

"Wha-" "Until you go to sleep, I'm just going to lay here with you," Sasuke interrupted and only held Naruto closer as the Jinchūriki struggled to free himself. "What, you gonna rape me in my sleep or something once I do fall asleep?" Naruto nearly shouted. Sasuke chuckled lightly, the raven's breath brushing against the lobe of his ear. "No. Now if you want me to go away, you'll sleep," Sasuke whispered. And despite himself, Naruto felt shivers run down his spine at the weird tone in the raven's voice._ This is comfortable though..._he thought as Sasuke tightened his hold slightly. Warmth surrounded Naruto at all sides as he shut his eyes and felt Sasuke's chest rise and fall against his back evenly, and for some reason, he felt...

Loved.


	23. This is War

This is War

**Sasuke**

_It's been three weeks since Naruto started therapy, and yet he refuses to use chakra, _Sasuke thought worriedly as he watched the blonde man in question practice tai-jutsu in his backyard. The Jinchūriki was preforming techniques he had learned whilst traveling abroad, and while Sasuke admitted that the moves were impressive, he couldn't understand why Naruto wouldn't use any ninjutsu. The raven had made it clear, many times, that chakra was allowed to be used in and around his house...for example, when Sasuke had activated a chidori to make sure Naruto got his ass out of the door on time a couple of days back.

Sitting on the steps of his back porch, Sasuke leaned his chin onto the palm of his hand and watched Naruto with his sharnigan active, hoping to gain some new fighting styles from his former teammate while the noon sun beat down heavily on their forms. Kya's heavy panting and Naruto occasionally grunting upon the impact of his fist against something were the only sounds Sasuke heard, beside the distant bustle of Konoha of course. The Uchiha's eyes trailed to Naruto's gleaming chest and saw that the scars there had all but vanished, and that he did seem to be moving easier than when he had first started therapy.

Sakura had also estimated Naruto wouldn't even require it at this point, because of the rate that he was healing at...and Sasuke was glad for it. But soon, his gratitude for Naruto's health turned to lust when his thoughts turned from the blonde's recovery to watching him too closely, his onyx eyes roaming over that tan chest and back, watching his muscles ripple with movement. Unconsciously, Sasuke licked his lips and leaned forward even more. Kya growled shortly by his feet, and he tore his eyes regretfully to glare at the russet and grey wolf, who was returning the scowl in kind while standing on all four paws before him.

Sighing, Sasuke knew he probably shouldn't look at Naruto like that whenever the wolf was around. For some reason that Sasuke couldn't fully understand, she had become so overprotective of Naruto, it took Sasuke hours just to get close enough to the Jinchūriki without Kya snapping at his thighs so he could help the blonde to his bedroom or to the bathroom. Kya growled again, as if emphasizing that she would try to rip Sasuke apart if he had another one of his "fantasies" that had made him leave the den that he and Naruto had been sitting in, just to make sure Naruto didn't know what the raven was thinking...or rather, restraining himself from doing.

"Don't be a mother hen," he muttered, echoing the phrase Naruto had adopted over the course of the three weeks, returning his eyes back to Naruto. But not in a sexual way, thanks to Kya and her odd possessiveness. The blonde was standing with his hands folded over his head, breathing heavily with his back to Sasuke while staring at the three logs that he himself had carved into wooden dummies, propped against the backyard fence. "You done?" Sasuke called out to the man and rose to his feet while Kya rubbed her head against his calf, her way of apologizing for her earlier behavior before going to trot to the blonde's side.

"Yeah," Naruto replied slowly and turned, unwrapping the tape from his knuckles and picking up his discarded shirt from by the koi pond while Sasuke and Kya approached. "You're improving," the Uchiha noted once he had gotten close enough to Naruto, and the blonde's blue eyes snapped up in surprise to Sasuke's face. "Thanks for the compliment?" Naruto said unsurely and pulled the clothing over his head while Sasuke rolled his eyes. _Just more clothing I'll have to wash later, _he thought begrudgingly as he, Naruto, and Kya made their way to the back door.

Once Sasuke had stepped into the shade of his home, he immediately made his way to the kitchen, knowing Naruto was going to complain about being hungry as soon as he set foot inside. And sure enough, once Sasuke had set a pot on the stove to start making some soup, Naruto came ambling through the doorway. "I'm-" "Before you say anything," Sasuke interrupted and pointed to the hall with a scowl. "Go take a shower. I am not having you drip sweat all over my floor and chairs." Naruto walked over to pick an apple up off of the bowl set on the kitchen table while flipping the raven off, then exiting the room and munching on the fruit. Sasuke rolled his eyes and poured boiling water into the bowl, and then turned the stove on.

Going over to the fridge, Sasuke opened up the brown painted door and searched for the bag of raw meat he had set aside for Kya when she didn't go out hunting. Grabbing some steak, he put it on a plastic plate, and then went to the hall where Kya was laying on her side, blinking at the opposite wall. The wolf's nose twitched at the smell of meat, and her head rose while Sasuke set the plate in front of her. Then the raven went back to the kitchen and began to make the tomato soup that he himself was going to eat.

Naruto would have to be on his own if he didn't want the soup.

Smirking to himself, Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned his back against the counter while staring at the Uchiha banner on the opposite wall. Closing his eyes, the raven let out a sigh and felt himself drifting off to sleep...

* * *

_It was a cloudy day in Konoha. Not surprising, but today seemed chillier than most as Sasuke walked down the dirt path before him, hands shoved into his pockets while civilians and shinobi alike glared at him with suspicion and fear in their eyes. The Uchiha shook his head slightly, as if to ward off an annoying fly that had been buzzing around his head. He'd already been back in Konoha for two years now, surely if he wanted to destroy it he would have done so by now and been on his merry way. But nope, here he was, one year after the Fourth Great Shinobi War, still being viewed as someone untrustworthy and as slippery as the snake he had trained under._

_Eyes set on the small shop that he had an errand to run in, Sasuke saw Neji and Hinata both making their way towards him, approaching from the opposite side of the street and both dressed in black. Neji's lavender eyes connected with Sasuke's onyx, and each nodded once to the other as they passed by in a strange form of greeting that they had adopted over the years. Turning to his right, Sasuke entered the dim store, eyes automatically zeroing in on the back wall to ensure the item that he had had his eyes on for two years was still there._

_It was._

_Quickly pacing forward, as if he didn't reach the object before anyone else it would vanish, the Uchiha felt the wallet with which he kept his money from C and D rank missions in his thigh and smirked, knowing he could finally buy this object and not have to bargain with the old shopkeeper who insisted on hitting his head with a broom and telling him to come back later when he had the cash. Shaking his head again, Sasuke knew that before Pain had destroyed the village, his clan's bank account had easily more than enough money to buy everything in half of the village's stores and then some...but ever since the attack and his return, Sasuke had been dirt poor. _

_His onyx eyes trailed over the black string that held a small green crystal with two silver orbs on either side of it set in a small wooden display case lined with black velvet. Stopping in front of the table the case was held on, the raven's pale hand reached out and took the string in between his fingers, and he could almost imagine that the certain person who had worn this at one point had just taken it off mere minutes ago and would come bursting in, telling Sasuke not to touch his stuff. Sighing, because the Uchiha knew that wouldn't happen, he turned to go to the front of the store, where the cashier's counter was located with the necklace clasped securely in his palm._

_The old woman stationed there focused her small eyes on the taller raven as he approached, and a mischievous grin appeared on her thin lips. "Shall we skip the speech and get straight to chasing you out of my shop, Sasuke-chan?" She said teasingly, and her fingers curled around the stick of her broom that was by her hip. Sasuke flinched despite himself, knowing the woman had a hell of an aim, and that he still couldn't walk straight because of the blow she had landed the last time to a very...sensitive spot. "No oba-san," he said carefully and pulled out his wallet and placing the necklace on the wooden counter._

_"I have the amount needed for the necklace," Sasuke continued and took out the appropriate cash and handing it to the old woman. "Oho! I see!" The woman chuckled and counted it carefully. "I suppose it's true that an Uchiha never lies," she said happily when she was finished and bent down to retrieve a paper bag from behind the counter. "I don't need anything to carry it in," Sasuke said and picked up the necklace, refusing to let himself feel joy until he was long out of range from the woman and her broomstick of doom. _

_"Are you sure, Sasuke-chan?" She asked sweetly. "I'm sure you are aware that necklace is a very valuable object." "I know. And I'll protect it with my life," Sasuke replied and turned to exit. "The past year and a half finally paid off, Sasuke-chan," the shopkeeper called as he made his way out of the store. "Indeed it did," he said softly and started to walk, staring at the necklace in his hand and finally letting his pleasure sweep through him. Now, this necklace was one of the only things Sasuke had to remind him of Naruto..._

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

_Sasuke's next destination was the Yamanaka flower shop. Stepping into the vibrant store, Sasuke was thankful to see that neither Ino or her parents were running the shop today, and walked forward while trying to find an orange flower. Finding a beautiful orange rose set in a black flower pot near the back, Sasuke fingered the petals gently and leaned close to breathe in its unique scent, then picked it up and carried it with one hand to the counter. "Welcome Uchiha-san," the young, probably thirteen year old boy behind the desk said and took the flower pot into his hands. "An orange rose, hm? This symbolizes energy and passion...who's the lucky girl, eh?"_

_Sasuke looked away. "Today is that day," he muttered. "Oh...yeah. Of course," the boy replied slowly and Sasuke put the amount of money needed for the flower on the counter. "Well...um...have a good day," the boy called as Sasuke immediately picked up his purchase and hurried from the room before he got frustrated and most likely burned the place down. Ino would probably kill Sasuke for that, and the raven knew not to get on the blonde's bad side after seeing what she had done to Shikamaru and Choji. She was almost as bad as Sakura...almost. Sasuke snorted despite himself while he put his hands back in his pockets and felt the crystal of the necklace on his fingers, eyes trained on the metal building before him._

_The apartment complex was still bustling with activity, but as Sasuke passed it he saw civilians and shinobi alike lined up like they were waiting for a carnival, dressed in black and holding various flower bouquets in their hands. His eyes went even farther skyward to gaze at the balcony on the top floor, the door that led inside of the building covered in yellow tape. Horrible memories flooded Sasuke's mind at the sight, and he grit his teeth while quickening his pace to chase the images away. Evening his breathing, the Uchiha slowly wound his way through back alleys and roads, not wanting to see anyone or be seen until he had reached his destination...the Uchiha Compound._

_Or, rather, the former Uchiha Compound. Now the once honorable clan's district was nothing but rubble, and save for a few sturdy basements here and there, nothing was left of Sasuke's childhood. The raven stood on a cobblestone path that ran past a battered black iron gate, half of the Uchiha crest faded on either side of the locks, and the metal was twisted and falling back, not guarding anything. The Uchiha breathed deeply once, smelling the dust and the wood chips even from here, and stepped forward while his fingers closed around the necklace in his palm like a vice. _

_As he passed piles of cobblestone and wood, Sasuke refused to glance at the plot of land that sat apart of the Uchiha's shopping district and was the largest of them all; his family's estate. He could still see the one-floored home's room plan, and somehow, the doors that had blocked off the room that his parents had been killed in still stood, as if blocking out that awful nightmare still. Even after all these years. Back stiff, Sasuke instead kept his eyes on the wooded area in front of him, one of the few areas in Konoha that had not been destroyed by Pain, mainly because his destination was elevated away from the destruction of the former Akatsuki leader._

_He opened the black, waist-high gate slowly, failing to avoid the ever-annoying squeaks and groans of the metal sliding on un-oiled metal while his foot pressed onto the worn stone path, grass growing from between the cracks of the cement leading up to a set of decaying wooden stairs. Flat grass gave way to swaying trees while Sasuke ascended the staircase, cold wind blowing across his face as he approached his family's graveyard. _

_Closing his eyes, Sasuke stopped once he felt the ground level out beneath his feet. This tradition he had started about a year ago had not gotten easier like Sakura had told him it would. If anything, this place always made Sasuke feel worse than when he actually came in. But today, Sasuke was not visiting his parents. The Uchiha slowly blinked his eyes open to the rows of granite headstones that were lined up in neat rows amongst overgrown grass, the foliage covering many of the names on the stone and only showing the Uchiha crest that was carved into the very top of the rocks._

_The grass tickled at Sasuke's calves as he walked forward, again avoiding the two graves that were placed in the very front of the graveyard, and even though he was trying his hardest to not look at the names, he still saw "Mikoto" and "Fugaku" carved in delicate, swooping characters on the stone. His journey took him to the very back of the graveyard, almost to the point where Sasuke wasn't even in it anymore and was instead surrounded by forest trees and bushes, a small clearing opening up to his eyes as he approached._

_And as he did so, a white obelisk came into view, rising six feet into the air._

_Sasuke stopped then in front of the marble, looking down at the several tulips and lilacs that dotted the green and brown earth at the foot of the monument. Then, he breathed deeply and stepped around the side of the obelisk and sat down cross-legged in front it, taking the orange rose in his hand and laying it on the small platform that jutted out from the base of the rock. "Hey..." He whispered, and his eyes rose to meet the cold words that were carved into the base of the rock._

_"Uzumaki Naruto"_

_"The only ray of sunshine in a life of darkness"_

_His eyes also didn't miss that Uchiha symbol that he himself had carved above the blonde's name._

_"It's been two years," Sasuke stated simply and leaned back, his hands sinking into the rain-sodden earth below his palms. "I never thought I'd be here, you know...sitting in front of...well. You know what I mean." Sasuke looked down at his lap and saw the imprint of Naruto's necklace against his thigh. "I actually managed to get your necklace back..." Sasuke chuckled quietly and listened to the wind stir the branches and leaves above his head for a short while. Then he looked back up at the marble obelisk and saw the Konoha leaf carved near the base of the pyramid that capped off the statue. _

_"What happened to you...Naruto," Sasuke whispered. "No-one knows if you're even still ALIVE...I've been coming here for two years and talking to the grave of someone who might not even be dead..." Tears pricked Sasuke's eyes and, despite what he himself knew, he blamed it on the wind and the dry air. "It isn't fair!" The Uchiha shouted and stood, slamming both of his fists against the obelisk and leaning his forehead against the cool marble. "Why do I always lose those closest to me," he muttered and allowed the warm tears to leak over his cheeks and fall to the orange rose that he was staring at._

_"Naruto...if you're alive...please come back."_

_The metal gate that guarded the Uchiha graveyard was the only thing that responded to Sasuke's plea, squeaking in the wind that blew against it._

* * *

"...Oi! Sasuke! _Sasukeee_!" Sasuke's eyes blinked open rapidly to see a blurry image of the current, nineteen year old Naruto snapping his fingers impatiently in front of the raven's face, and as the Uchiha's sight cleared he saw a towel wrapped around the blonde's neck and sweatpants covering his legs. The Jinchūriki smirked once Sasuke had woken up. "Falling asleep on the job, eh?" He chuckled and went to sit at the kitchen table while waving over his shoulder. "You can thank me for saving your tomato soup, by the way."

Looking to his left, Sasuke saw that he had almost burned his soup by leaving the heat on high and almost causing it to explode. "Hn," he replied and went to get himself a bowl. "Tired much?" Naruto asked once the raven had retrieved his meal and had sat down opposite of the blonde and began to eat. "Considering you're waking me up every half hour to help you get to the bathroom, yes," Sasuke replied and blew onto a spoonful of soup. _Still too warm_, he thought disappointedly while Naruto scowled. "I can get around just fine on my own now," the blonde said unhappily and crossed his arms. "Yeah, I'm sure you can," Sasuke snorted and took a sip of his soup. _Guess it's good enough..._"Hey! Of course I can!" Naruto retorted and blew at a piece of blonde hair that was falling between his eyes.

His cerulean orbs went cross-eyed as he tried to view the strand, and Sasuke fought the urge to chuckle while the blonde refused to uncross his arms to brush the hair away. The act went on for a good three minutes while Naruto continued to stare down his nose at the hair, and Sasuke finally sighed, annoyed with the blonde's immaturity and stood to lean over the table, moving the hair aside with his own hand while Naruto uncrossed his eyes and stared at the raven in surprise. "Uh..." "You're welcome, lazy ass," Sasuke said and went back to eating his soup.

Naruto's face turned bright red, and the blonde scoffed. "Whatever," he muttered and took another apple. "I don't need your help-!" The blonde was cut off by an explosion rocking the earth beneath their feet, and pieces of silverware along with plates and bowls toppled to the floor.

"What the hell?" Sasuke exclaimed in a rare fit of panic. He knew that Konoha never experienced earthquakes, and this aftershock that sent him and Naruto falling out of their chairs and to the floor was no natural occurance..."Naruto, stay here," Sasuke ordered and rose to his feet, stumbling out into the hall while another resounding boom rocked through his limbs. Going to his bedroom, he quickly dressed in his Jonin vest and strapped his katana to his back, tying his hitai-ate around his left arm and putting on his shinobi sandals before running back into the hall...only to meet Naruto's furious face, his right eye bright blue and the left a startling crimson.

"I'm coming with," he demanded, and Sasuke saw that he too had gotten dressed in a black and orange long-sleeved shirt with black pants and sandals. "Hell no," Sasuke replied and made his way to the front door. "This might just be a natural thing-" "Bullshit," Naruto interrupted. "Konoha doesn't get earthquakes." Sasuke glared at the blonde with his hand curled around the edge of the door. "Well, you sure as hell aren't going outside..." He snarled and flung the door aside to see a giant, black armored creature towering into the air before his eyes, right at the front gates of the village...

"Uzumaki Naruto..." A cold voice that Sasuke recgonized called out, and shivers ran down his spine at hearing that tone again. "You will hand over the Kyuubi...or witness the destruction of the village you hold so dear."

Screams split the air as the Susano'o raised its chakra blade and sent it crashing down into a row of houses. The raven looked back at Naruto, who now wasn't even attempting to hold up his henge and was sporting the Kyuubi's red eyes and elongated whisker marks. "Naruto, don't you dare," Sasuke warned while Naruto clenched his fists. The blonde's furious crimson eyes locked with Sasuke's worried onyx. "This is war," the Jinchūriki snarled...then his image flickered and vanished.

* * *

**Naruto**

_Gotta stop them. Gotta stop them..._Naruto thought as he left a bewildered Sasuke standing in the doorway of his home and leapt over rooftops, not even caring who saw him on the dirt roads below and ignoring the shrieks of surprise at his image jumping over their heads. Flashbacks of Pain's invasion of Konoha burst behind Narutp's eyelids as he blinked against the current of air brushing his eyes while the sight of burning and crumbling structures greeted him, a towering, black skeletal figure made of flames with burning yellow eyes swinging an enormous sword down onto the village at its feet. And inside the monster stood a black haired man, his hair reaching down to his waist and red armor covering his chest and shoulders.

A Mangekyou Sharnigan glowed in his eyes.

Scowling, Naruto immediately recgonized the Uchiha before him as he stopped on a log that jutted out from a burning building. "Madara!" the Jinchūriki shouted and watched the man glance up at him. Then his lips lifted into a small smirk. "Well...hello, Kyuubi," the raven said lowly and turned to face him fully, the Susano'o that he stood in following his movements and grinning down on Naruto's smaller form. "Heh...I'm not the crazy old fox," Naruto snarled and grinned, feeling the Kyuubi's influence run through his veins. _I'm pretty damn close to it though. _Madara didn't comment as Naruto decided to let two tails burst from his back, the chakra coat covering his skin and leaving him feeling boiling hot while he glared at the Uchiha.

But...Naruto knew what would happen if he tried to use chakra right now...it was why he had been avoiding it for the past three weeks.

"Come at me then...Uchiha," Naruto snarled and grinned while he dug his fingers into the wood, crouching to all fours and leaping aside as Susano'o's blade came swinging at him. Twisting in midair, Naruto quickly formed seals and drew a blade from his pouch. "Shruiken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Flinging the kunae and shruiken forward, the blades vanished in a poof of air, only to quickly multiply into thousands of shinobi blades aimed straight at Madara. The Uchiha reached behind his back and dispelled Susano'o, drawing a large fan in the shape of an eight with the Sharnigan tomoes around its edges, shielding his body from Naruto's attack and deflecting the blades.

His face then appeared from the edge of the fan, and a massive fireball exploded from his lips while heading straight for Naruto. The blonde snarled and felt the Kyuubi become angry that this mortal was easily able to fend off Naruto's attacks, and the Jinchūriki sensed that, for once, the demon was going to actually assist him in this fight. _Yeah, thanks for finally coming to your sense, _Naruto thought, but knew this was a one-time thing when a twinge of pain shot through his torso in response to his thought as five tails sprouted and his body became cloaked in a black and crimson swirling vortex.

Jumping forward, Naruto extended his hand to claw at Madara's throat, but the raven side-stepped the attack at the last moment, and his gloved hands viciously punched Naruto repeatedly back, sending him colliding with buildings that fell like dominoes on the impact. Naruto growled, beyond human rage and capacity to speak while the Kyuubi assisted him in forming,what he had learned from research was, a Bijuu-dama (bomb). The dense black, blue, and red chakra sphere formed in front of his open white and jagged mouth, and then the Jinchūriki leaned forward to swallow the attack.

Then, with a roar, the Bijuu-dama exploded from his mouth in a blazing white and black trail aimed straight for the Uchiha in front of him. Madara again brought his fan in front of him and the black orb was caught mere inches between the paper and his face, and then he brought the fan and the attack swinging around and sent it straight back at Naruto. Growling, one of the blonde's tails whipped forward and caught the devestating attack, and then he ran forward on all fours at lightning fast speed, throwing the Bijuu-dama forward again as he did so and, this time, hitting Madara straight in the chest.

The Uchiha was flung backwards, carving a hole in the solid concrete wall that surrounded Konoha while plumes of dust followed his path away from the village. Pausing in his stride, Naruto growled and waited...

Then black flames erupted about two miles outside of Konoha, forming into a perfectly armored Susano'o. A roar of air rushed over the village, and the screams of the civilians turned to silence as Naruto saw Sasuke and Sakura pause on the edge of a roof that wasn't destroyed, anxiously watching Naruto as the Jinchūriki stared back out of the corner of soulless white eye. A black sword came crashing onto the village gates then, demolishing the fortifyed wood and stone as well as the chakra seals that coated them, and in the same motion was heading straight for Naruto. Snarling loudly, Naruto turned and allowed a sixth tail, as well as the bone armor that accompanied it, to form on his body while he arched in a wide loop in the clearing the Bijuu-dama had made and ran for where the Susano'o stood, towering.

He heard someone scream then, and Naruto made the mistake of looking over his shoulder to see a young brunette woman holding a black-haired baby being lifted into the air by Susano'o's hand. _That's just low! _Naruto shouted in his mind and skidded in the dirt, his hands/paws turning to run back to the young mother and her child in the air. Leaping up, Naruto clawed at Susano'o's wrist and sent the woman toppling to her knees on the ground.

But the rescue would become a dire mistake.

The first sign that Naruto was screwed was when the Jinchūriki heard a thin whoosh of air that signaled a blade approaching.

The second was the searing pain of Kyuubi shooting up his abdomen and the fox's chakra cloak vanishing from his now boiling red skin, and the blonde screamed at the magnitude of the pain that the fox now relished in.

The third, and final, sign was the black sword that cut into Naruto's back and flung him into the air, blood flowing around him like ribbons. As he arched through the air, he saw Sasuke on the ground below, directly underneath him in fact, and was about to jump into the air when Susano'o's sword cut into his side as it swung back to where the chakra guardian stood. "Sas...uke," Naruto managed to grind out when the raven's eyes went dull and his body thumped to the ground, a small cloud of dust enveloping his form while Naruto was sent over Konoha, into the forest surrounding it, where his body connected with a white marble obelisk, and the world went black.


	24. The value of a Life

The value of a Life

**Sakura**

A scream of terror built in Sakura's throat, but didn't quite manage to escape her lips as Sasuke crumbled to the ground in front of her. A drop of crimson fell onto her cheek as well, and her emerald eyes flashed up to see Naruto being launched across the village, towards the Uchiha Complex. "We need a medic team!" The rosette finally screeched and leaped from her vantage point on a rooftop, sprinting past the startled mother and child that Naruto had saved on her way to Sasuke's body, which was bleeding out rapidly.

Her hands first gripped Sasuke's arm as she bent down, and she flung him onto his back to behold the cut that nearly sliced his body in half horizontally. The raven's sweat-covered expression clenched tight and a small groan of pain escaped his lips as Sakura immediately focused her chakra into her hands to begin examining the wound. "...Sak...ura..." The Uchiha coughed out, and the kunochi tried not to sigh in relief at his voice. "Stay still," she ordered instead and tried to keep herself from crying; she still didn't know if Naruto was okay, and where the hell was the medic team that she had requested for?!

"Where...is Naru...to," Sasuke asked while completely ignoring Sakura's instruction, attempting to sit up and then snarling from the pain the action apparently caused. Sakura kept her eyes trained on the gash in his side. "Just don't move," she muttered. "Sakura...what happen...ed...to him..." "Not now Sasuke," Sakura snapped while she furiously poured her chakra into the wound that refused to be knit back together.

A stunned silence befell on Sasuke and Sakura as she listened to the worried murmurs of civilians and the orders of shinobi behind herself. "Sakura!" Shizune's voice called out then, and the rosette heard rapid footsteps approaching her. "What," Sakura asked without looking away from Sasuke's wound. "What just happened?! How could Madara have known Naruto is here?" The ravenette whispered and gasped slightly while she bent over Sakura's shoulder to peer at Sasuke's wound.

"I dunno," Sakura muttered. Then an idea came to her. "Shizune, could you get Sasuke to the hospital? She asked and looked back at her fellow medical assistant. "There is no way in hell you're taking me there," Sasuke growled and Sakura looked over at his strained face, obviously trying to keep from crying out in pain. "I have to get...to Naruto!" "Sorry Sasuke-kun," Shizune sighed out and nodded to Sakura. "I'll take care of him. Where are you going?" Sakura stood and brushed the bloody dirt from her knees while turning, refusing to meet Sasuke's furious and betrayed eyes.

"To save Naruto," she replied simply, and then she was gone.

* * *

A chilly breeze blew over Sakura's cheeks as she came to a halt at the end of the blood trail she had been following across the frantic village. While she hated to admit it, Naruto's pouring wounds had made it easy for her to follow him to where he had landed...but it also made it easy for Madara too. She grit her teeth as she ran up the wooden stairs that led to the Uchiha gravesite, having only been here once before when Sasuke couldn't bear to visit Naruto's "grave" on his own. Since then, he had guarded the site with religious zeal and Sakura had no access to the property.

Blood dripped from demolished headstones towards the clearing the Naruto's white obelisk stood in, shining sickeningly in the weak sunlight due to the dust that covered the sky from Madara's attack. Sakura swallowed nervously and ran forward quietly, her feet brushing on the grass while she pulled a kunai from her weapons pouch. Pausing once she had reached the treeline, the rosette scanned the clearing in front of her...and her eyes landing on Naruto's mangled form.

Angry red blisters covered every inch of the blonde's once tan skin. The blood that oozed from the wound on his back was barely discernable due to the burns that marred Naruto's body, his blonde head shifting slightly up and the Jinchūriki coughed blood onto the grass. Surpressing a gasp, Sakura walked forward briskly and knelt by Naruto's side, the slash apparent to her only because of the rip it tore in Naruto's clothing. But as she went to start healing the blonde's burns, a heavy weight slammed into her side and she was sent colliding to the left into a thick tree.

Groaning as leaves fluttered around her dizzy head, Sakura opened her eyes and saw Madara standing before her, his fist closed around Naruto's right ankle and the blonde's fingertips brushing the grass above his head. "I'm afraid this is the end for you," the raven said lazily. Sakura glowered at her enemy and stood, picking up her discarded kunai and letting herself slip into a battle-ready stance. "There is no way in hell you're taking him," Sakura snarled, quoting Sasuke from earlier and she felt her chakra surge in her arms. Madara chuckled. "As if you could be on par with me," the Uchiha sneered. "Your precious _Hokage_ was barely able to keep up against my attacks. What makes you think a weak, useless girl such as yourself could win back the Kyuubi?"

Sakura tightened her grip around the hilt of her blade, refusing to lash out and lose her temper, for it might cause Naruto more injury if she did so. _I need to get him to let go of Naruto somehow, _she thought and, worriedly, her eyes flicked across the clearing in search of a distraction.

She found nothing.

Madara sighed as Sakura scanned for a way to get him away from Naruto. "You are nothing but a self-deluded child," the raven said blankly, and his purple eyes watched Sakura carefully while she shifted her footing. "To think you could keep the Kyuubi hidden from me. And knowing that he left you in the first place to _save_ you! You Konoha brats are all the same, believing 'good' and 'bonds' always win. You, girl, are sorely mistaken." The Uchiha shook Naruto roughly, and drops of blood splattered to the ground. Sakura scowled at the sight, and then she looked up into the sky. _Shizune! How could you!? _Sakura screamed in her head as she saw a flaming dragon arcing through the air towards them, approaching from behind Madara and opening its fearsome jaws as it hurtled down to the ground.

The Uchiha didn't seem to notice at first, but he seemed to take note of Sakura's shocked and fallen expression while following her gaze. Then, without turning, Madara stepped aside, avoiding the jutsu and letting it fall with a loud explosion by his feet, burning a large crater in the ground. Moments later, Sasuke appeared next to Sakura with a thick white bandage wrapped around his torso, still in the clothes that she had left him in. "Are you insane?!" Sakura whispered to the kneeling Uchiha, who was glaring death at his predecessor. "Probably," Sasuke replied and clenched his fists over his knee. "Get back! You are in no condition to fight," Sakura hissed at her teammate without taking her glare off of Madara, who was now watching Sasuke curiously.

"I'm perfectly fine," Sasuke retorted. "The giant gash in your side says otherwise, Sasuke! It probably isn't even stitched up!" Sakura exclaimed softly. "I can fight," Sasuke said surely. "And if you start to bleed to death? How will that help Naruto at all?" Sakura asked tensely. Sasuke seemed to hesitate while working his jaw furiously. "Get back to the hospital, and _stay_ there," she ordered. "...I am not going back," Sasuke growled, but he stood and stepped back regardless. "I'll take back, you take point," the Uchiha suggested. "You will take a seat," Sakura replied and with that, she sprinted forward and propelled herself into the air, intending to land a massive punch on Madara's skull.

_I have to make sure I don't injure Naruto, _shethought worriedly as her eyes quickly flickered to Naruto's unconscious face, before returning to Madara's impassive expression. The eldest Uchiha stepped back just seconds before Sakura hit him, and she ended up smashing a decent sized crater into the earth, causing the ground to crack and roll beneath her feet as she landed. Her head whipping up, the rosette's emerald eyes scanned the dust cloud she had created and she heard a whoosh of air come from her right. Leaping forward, Sakura narrowly avoided a fireball that singed the back of her shirt. Then, landing in a handstand and turning on her palms, she kicked out her legs as Madara's face loomed in the dust behind her while his gloved hand reached for her ankle.

She managed to push him back slightly, and the kunochi fell to her feet and ran forward again. "Shannaro!" She shouted and punched at Madara's chest, noting suspiciously that Naruto was missing from Madara's grasp. The raven pulled his fan from behind his back and swung it into Sakura's side, deflecting her attack and sending her crashing into the white obelisk. Eyesight spinning from the impact, Sakura could barely make out a great mass of orange and red making its way towards her, the air heating up rapidly as it approached. Then she snapped to her senses and flung herself to the ground, hearing the roar of fire over her head as the fireball connected with where he head had been moments prior.

Sliding forward like a snake, Sakura pulled a kunae from her pouch and, even though it wouldn't affect Madara at all, flung it at the Uchiha's calf. The raven jumped back and Sakura stood, breathing heavily with blood dripping into her left eye. Then Madara vanished from her sight, and she looked around wildly while standing in a defensive position...then a hard hand hit her temple, and with a cry she was flying through the air again, feeling something soft break her fall and her dimming vision saw Sasuke's chin, the Uchiha glaring furiously at Madara.

Sasuke looked down quickly, and Sakura saw his eyes harden with anxiety. His lips were moving, but no sound escaped his mouth while Sakura's eyes closed. "Get...Naruto..." She whispered, and the last thing she remembered seeing was Naruto's smiling face before her breathing stopped.

* * *

**Madara**

The pink haired girl in Sasuke's arms murmured something as Madara slowly stepped forward, intending to end the pathetic nuisances that insisted on interfering with his plan. His descendant looked absolutely furious as he shook the rosette and slapped her cheek none-too-lightly, his onyx eyes turning to crimson red as rage overtook his features and a purple chakra cloak enveloping them. "You can destroy this village," Sasuke growled and stood while putting the kunochi down, "You can destroy the world..." The raven stepped forward with a limp, holding his side tightly as he did so, "But you will _not_ take my best friend...or kill my comrade!"

With a roar, a purple, armored Susano'o appeared over Sasuke's head, and Madara quickly let a shocked expression flit across his face. _This boy is serious, _he thought, and then snorted. _I would expect nothing less from an Uchiha, I assume..._"I'm afraid you've already let all those things occur," Madara said smugly. Then stepped aside while Sasuke flung a giant shruiken at him. Running forward, Madara saw blue lightning form on the Uchiha's palm and curiosity overtook him while he punched his descendant in the gut. Sasuke coughed, and the lightning faded from his left palm while he sunk to his knees before Madara. The Uchiha leaned down and grasped the raven's chin, forcing the wounded man to glare into his Rinnegan.

"Do you understand now?" Madara asked softly. "I am the God of Shinobi. There is no way you can defeat me..." The Uchiha reached for his fan while Sasuke groaned, blood appearing from his bandaged side, and the raven prepared to cut Sasuke in half.

"Oi! Your fight is with me!"

A voice exclaimed loudly from behind Madara, and his eyebrows rose at its presence. Sasuke, too, looked surprised as the elder Uchiha dropped his form and turned to see a bloody and fairly tired Uzumaki Naruto standing across the clearing, arms crossed and one eye a crimson red, the other a cobalt blue. Madara laughed darkly and copied the blonde's stance. "I'm surprised you're still able to stand," he called back. "I have a few lessons to teach you," Naruto growled then, and his image flickered before vanishing entirely. Strangely, Madara could not trace the Jinchūriki's movements, and this was cause for worry as Naruto's voice whispered quickly in his ear.

"Lesson one: never underestimate me," the blonde said, and Madara barely managed to escape the cascade of boiling hot water that appeared out of nowhere. Staggering to the side, the Uchiha narrowed his purple eyes and tried to sense the Jinchūriki's presence, but it was if the blonde didn't even exist as his furious face appeared in front of the raven. "Lesson two: if you hurt the people I care about, I will end you," Naruto said and his fist collided with Madara's cheek, making the Uchiha backpedal quickly while his head whipped from side to side furiously, trying to pinpoint the blonde's location.

"Lesson three...I'm not some weapon you can control at your slightest whim," Naruto hissed, and then his full form came running full speed at Madara, holding a massive blue and red rasengan in his right palm. Madara's eyes widened considerably, and he knew for all of the speed and chakra he had, he wouldn't be able to avoid this normally mortal wound.

But he couldn't die, so why should it worry him?

And thus, he allowed the Jinchūriki's devastating blow to strike his chest, directly over where his heart should have been, and was thrust back over the Uchiha gravesite and out of Konoha.

* * *

**Naruto**

The first thing Naruto did after he had knocked Madara clear out of the village was grip his right arm, where it felt like painful spikes were digging into his flesh. "Fucking Uchiha," the blonde muttered, and rubbed at his hand, where burns were covering his palm and fingers from the force that had been generated from the rasengan. Turning, the Jinchūriki spotted Sasuke kneeling by the white obelisk, and he limped over to see if the raven was alright.

Sasuke was laying in a pool of blood, his eyes closed and his hands over a drenched crimson cloth.

"Sasuke," Naruto said sharply and managed to squat down at the Uchiha's side, putting his hand in Sasuke's hair and using the back of his other one to roll the raven onto his back. Sasuke groaned and clenched his teeth, eyes squeezing shut as Naruto carefully took off the white bandage over his torso to reveal a very red and angry looking slice cutting Sasuke almost in half; Naruto was able to glimpse Sasuke's spine, glowing a dim white in the light of day. "Sasuke, can you hear me?" Naruto called and took off his shirt, tearing it into strips and dabbing at the gash. Sasuke moaned again, but nodded stiffly, air hissing past his clenched teeth as Naruto got a little too close to the wound.

"Sorry," the blonde muttered as footsteps approached quickly from his left. "...Naruto!" Ino's voice called, and Naruto nodded once as two more pairs of feet approached. "..._Naruto_?!" Kiba's voice shouted, and a deep bark signaled the dog trainer's ninja dog was with him. "Oh great," Naruto muttered, trying to stay focused on Sasuke's wound while Ino appeared on the other side of the raven. "This looks troublesome," Shikamaru's voice said. Naruto glanced up at Ino, who was looking at him with her jaw hanging open. "What," he snapped. Ino blinked and she shook her head. "Your wounds..." She whispered. "Aren't as bad as Sasuke's and Sakura's. Speaking of Sakura..." Naruto nodded over in the direction where he had seen the rosette last, "Go see if she's ok."

Ino narrowed her eyes. "Sasuke's wound needs medical attention, now," she said and stood. "I had to take care of mortal wounds myself for the past three years," Naruto replied. "I'll get Sasuke to the hospital. Just go make sure Sakura is still _breathing_." Ino clenched her jaw, but nodded and vanished from Sasuke's side as Shikamaru took her place. "What happened here?" He asked, and Sasuke's fingers dug into the grass as Naruto took a new strip of cloth and started to cover the now somewhat cleaner wound.

"Madara," Naruto muttered in reply. "I think Sakura started to fight him...I was sort of unconscious at the time, and then I remember waking up and hearing her shout. Then I saw Sasuke going at Madara and...well, you know what happened next." "I know half the village is wondering where you are and running around like chickens with their heads cut off to find you," Shikamaru stated. Naruto rolled his eyes and winced once he had finished sufficiently covering Sasuke's wounds, taking the unexpectedly heavy raven into his arms as gently as he could, the invisible needles in his arm stinging once more in the process.

"I don't have time for that right now," Naruto said and stood. "I need you and Kiba to cover for me while I take Sasuke to the hospital." Shikamaru nodded and Naruto turned to see a flabbergasted Kiba staring at him with wide eyes. "Not now Kiba," Shikamaru said as Kiba opened his mouth to speak. "Uchiha needs to get help, fast. Naruto's asked for us to make sure he isn't interrupted as we take him to the hospital. Deal?" Kiba closed his mouth and looked down to Akamaru, who barked, and nodded. "What'cha need," the brunette asked. "I'm all out of chakra," Naruto explained. "A henge is the fastest way for me to get through unnoticed."

"So you need us to help you make a henge?" Kiba asked. "Yeah. Just change my hair and facial structure, maybe the pants too because of the orange," Naruto replied. Both Shikamaru and Kiba nodded, placing their palms on his shoulders. A puff of smoke enveloped Naruto, and he blinked rapidly as it cleared, staring at Kiba and Shikamaru curiously. "Well?" He asked. "If I didn't know it was you, I'd be fooled," Kiba said. Shikamaru nodded. "Now what," he asked. Naruto grimaced. "Just make sure no-one gets in my way," he said, and then he was running as evenly as he could to avoid jostling Sasuke as much as possible.

As he sprinted, Naruto heard Kiba and Akamaru approach from ahead while the main part of the village came into view. The brunette began to shout for the citizens to clear the way from up ahead once they reached the dirt roads, and the blonde heard Shikamaru sending orders from behind.

"...Na...r...uto..." Naruto looked down in surprise to see Sasuke's half-lidded eyes staring up at him dully. "Don't talk," Naruto ordered and looked back up to see where he was going, turning harshly left while following Kiba. "You...you're wounded." "Says the guy with a half-foot deep gash in his side," Naruto retorted. "He's right Naruto," Shikamaru called. "I'm concerned about that slash in your back." "Not now," Naruto snarled in reply. "You idiot...don't focus on me when...you're bleeding too," Sasuke growled and clenched his teeth while Naruto hurdled over an overturned wooden cart.

"Do you want to die? If not, then shut up," Naruto said as Kiba turned right. Sasuke grimaced, and his blood-covered palm slowly raised to a massive bruise that was forming on the blonde's chest. "You're..such an idiot," Sasuke muttered, and Naruto rolled his eyes quickly. "I'm expecting some form of groveling for saving your ass once you're all stitched up," he replied. "In your...dreams." "Here, Naruto," Kiba called from ahead. Naruto nodded once and bounded into the hospital, where a line of wounded patients stretched to the doors.

Scowling, Naruto managed to spot a nurse who wasn't being harassed by villagers and jogged over to her. Her eyes went to his face, and then to Sasuke's and she inhaled sharply. "Sasuke-san!" She exclaimed when Naruto had stopped in front of her. "Get him into surgery, now," Naruto ordered. The nurse nodded nervously and ran off, calling for a stretcher. Before the blonde even had time to back away, she was back with three surgeons rolling a stretcher towards them. "Good luck," Naruto said softly as Sasuke was put onto the rolling bed. "...Yeah," the raven replied slowly. And then he was gone.

"...What about you, sir?" The nurse asked Naruto as he felt his arm stiffen again. Suppressing a groan, Naruto managed to smile weakly at her. "I can wait," he whispered. "There's people here who need help more than I do." Without turning, so she wouldn't see his back, Naruto stepped away and got into the back of the line that was waiting to be checked into the hospital, grabbing a discarded coat and flinging it over his shoulders as he did so.

* * *

**Sasuke**

Darkness covered Sasuke's eyes like a blindfold as a needle was poked into his wrist. "Ugh..." He groaned, feeling harsh lights illuminating his face while he tried to divert his gaze from the glare. "...Sasuke is waking, Doctor," a soft voice said from somewhere to the Uchiha's left. "Alright. I just need to put a few more drips into his arm and then we should be stabilized." Stabilized? For what? Sasuke tried to blink his heavy eyelids open, but it felt as though they were now made of concrete, and so he settled for trying to speak. "Where...where am I," he managed to croak, voice cracked with disuse.

"Sasuke-kun?" A soft voice asked in response, and the raven heard the rustle of clothing on flesh as he finally found the strength to open his eyes in time to see a need being poked into the crook of his left elbow. "Where am I," Sasuke repeated and turned his head on a white pillow to see a doctor with a blue face mask standing by multiple IV stands...and behind him, Hinata, Shikamaru, Neji, and TenTen standing by the doorway. All four shinobis' shoulders slumped and they sighed in relief as Sasuke looked at them. "You're in the hospital, Sasuke-san," the doctor said quietly, and his onyx eyes flicked up to look at him.

"What? How...?" He asked groggily and winced as a sharp pain lanced through his side. "...You don't remember, Sasuke?" TenTen asked then, and the Uchiha managed to nod. Shikamaru walked forward and stopped by the edge of Sasuke's bed. "It's been six days since you were admitted here," the Jonin said. "That's impossible," Sasuke growled. "I only had a scratch..." Neji snorted and appeared by Shikamaru's left arm. "That was more than a scratch, Sasuke," the brunette said. "...Wait. What about Sakura?" Sasuke asked. "And...and Naruto..." Shikamaru looked over his shoulder and nodded once, then Hinata was taking the doctor's place by Sasuke's IV drips.

"Um...Sakura-kun has been in surgery for about two days..." She said quietly. "Apparently she has a lot of internal bleeding, and her pelvic bone is broken, as well as her spine," Neji continued gravely, and Sasuke's heart plummeted despite the fact that he didn't want to care about Sakura as much as he did. _Sakura..._"Will she be...alright?" He asked slowly, tensing his hands when no-one answered his question. "...It's possible that she may not be able to walk again," Shikamaru said. Sasuke removed his gaze from the Jonin's face and set it onto the opposite wall across from him. "And Naruto?" He asked.

Again, no-one answered.

Clenching his fingers and gritting his teeth, Sasuke refused to look back at his comrades while they shifted uncomfortably. "What. Happened. To. Naruto," he spat then, causing all four to jump at his angry voice. "...It's a little complicated," TenTen said. _Fuck, how does she know, _Sasuke thought and finally whipped his furious glare to Shikamaru and Neji, who both had at least the decency to look sheepish. "They would have figured it out anyways," Neji said quietly, and Shikamaru nodded in agreement. Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed, feeling his chakra stir in the anger generating by the very brief betrayal. But they were right; the Kyuubi had escaped twice now in the village, and Madara himself had come in search of the Bijuu. It wasn't something that Sasuke could plan on hiding forever.

But that didn't stop him from feeling a little bit spiteful about the situation.

"Well then...what happened to Naruto then?" Sasuke asked. Again, all four averted their eyes from Sasuke. "Um...we don't think you should know...y-yet..." Hinata said nervously and played with the ends of her hair. "Why not," the Uchiha near snarled, and Neji shot him a dark look while Hinata shuddered. "You may not be...happy to hear it," Shikamaru said carefully. Fear shot through Sasuke. "Is he dead?" He whispered. All four shook their heads in unison, and Sasuke managed to relax a little more into his bed. "But...he requested that he be held in maximum security..." TenTen murmured.

Sasuke looked at the brunette sharply. "Why the hell would he do that?" he asked, and remembered the grievous wounds the blonde had on him when he had taken Sasuke to the hospital. "Didn't he get treated for his wounds first?" "He just got stitches, he didn't stay overnight apparently," Neji said and crossed his arms.

"Then he went straight to Tsunade and begged her to put him under arrest and take him to maximum security. None of us know how he convinced her though."

Sasuke looked away and closed his eyes. This whole situation was getting way out of hand..."Can anyone visit him?" He asked. "Pro-probably not," Hinata said quietly. "We already tried..." "But I'm technically his...legal guardian," Sasuke said quickly, pausing so he could find the right words, "Maybe they'd-" "I highly doubt they would let you visit a maximum security prisoner Sasuke," Shikamaru interrupted. "But he isn't a maximum security prisoner! He's _Naruto_! How can you all sit back and let this happen to him?! Sasuke shouted. "Because we need to find a way to stop the Kyuubi from ripping his body to shreds before we can even consider welcoming him back!" Neji retorted.

"Sasuke, look...we all want Naruto back so badly it hurts," TenTen whispered. "But he is a Jinchūriki...a very unstable one, and we need to put the village before him." "Bullshit," Sasuke replied and blinked, activating his sharnigan. "Oh no you don't," Shikamaru said, and then shadows were binding Sasuke's neck to the pillow, forcing him to stare at the ceiling. "How can you stand to put him in that hell hole and call yourselves his friends," Sasuke snarled past the obstruction on his windpipe. "For his own good," Neji said in reply. "Don't forget, Sasuke, he _wanted_ this. He understands the dangers his return impose! Unlike you, who only sees what he wants to see. Which is him..."

"Let it go for now, Sasuke."

"W-we'll find a way to s-support the seal."

"Focus on getting better, for everyone's sake..and Naruto's."

And then everyone was gone, and Sasuke could move his head again.

Looking around the now empty room and grit his teeth while tears overflowed from his eyes. "Naruto..." He whispered. "Why is it always you that gets dragged through this hell of a world.." He clenched his fists again and glared at the wall across from him. "What value does his life hold to you?!" He shouted to empty air, knowing nothing would reply his call. Sinking his head back onto his pillow, Sasuke clenched his teeth while quick breaths came in and out of his nostrils. "Sakura.." He added quietly. "Don't die...and don't give up on Naruto, too..."

Outside of the hospital, a loan cry of pain rang across the sleeping Konoha as the moon drifted across the velvet black sky.


	25. Blood stained tears

Blood stained tears

**Naruto**

Chains scraped on a hard cobblestone floor as Naruto tried to shift in mid-air, his arms suspended above and behind his head, so as to avoid him preforming seals, and his feet were chained a few inches above the ground, leaving him hanging in the center of this very small cell. "Ugh," Naruto groaned as a twinge of fire shot through his back, and he could feel the wet blood dripping down his skin and landing on the floor with soft "plips".

His entire body ached. Hell, even his _soul_ seemed to be in agony from the battle twelve days prior to the present time, and Naruto knew that the time was drawing close where...well...

Let's just say, the Kyuubi would be able to gain a little more freedom.

"Damn you," Naruto cursed softly to empty air, gazing past the bars of his cell to the torch that was bolted into the opposite wall, illuminating his face ever so slightly while he rolled his ankle to get the blood flowing back into his foot. Sighing, and seeing his breath escape his lips in a puff of air in the cold room, the blonde cracked his neck and felt much better after doing so, but the throbbing in his upper torso and his back still persisted annoyingly as he again tried to shift and get some blood flowing to his wrists, which had long since lost any nerve receptors that hadn't already been burnt away by the Kyuubi, leaving the Jinchūriki thinking he had no arms.

"Ow," Naruto hissed when he accidentally tried to twist his back and ended up tearing more of the stitches in the gash located there, warm blood again falling down his skin and to the floor. "Thanks for healing me, old woman..." He muttered under his breath and remembered what had happened after he had taken Sasuke to the hospital...

* * *

_After being released from the hospital, Naruto dragged his weary feet over to where Ino stood ushering people into various hallways or to other doctors and nurses, a clipboard in her hand and her long blonde hair in disarray while her eyes flickered over to meet Naruto's. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly as he approached, and he nodded once. "How's Sakura," he whispered back and noticed that on the clipboard Ino held was Sakura's medical files. Ino's expression darkened and she paused quickly to talk to a patient. "The rehab wing is on floor five," she said helpfully to the wounded man, who was missing his left leg and hobbling around on crutches. "Thank you," he replied, and walked off while Ino turned back to Naruto._

_"She has a severe concussion," the blonde started. "As well as potential brain trauma...her pelvic bone and spine are broken, and her left wrist is sprained. There's a chance...that she won't be able to walk again...if she even wakes up." A cold pit of dread opened in Naruto's chest, and he diverted his eyes to the blue-tinted silicone of the floor. "This is all my fault..." He whispered and leaned his head on the wall. Ino put her hand gently on his shoulder, meeting his gaze with stern, sea-foam green eyes. "No it isn't," she demanded softly. "You came back for help, and we haven't provided it." "I shouldn't have come back at all," Naruto continued. _

_Ino's hand tightened on Naruto's shoulder. "Don't say that," she said sternly. Naruto breathed deeply and closed his eyes, trying to get Sakura's broken form out of his head. "What about Sasuke?" He asked finally and opened his eyes. "...He's still in surgery," Ino replied while stepping back and holding her clipboard to her chest. "In fact, I have to go check in for my shift on his surgery team..." Naruto nodded. "Thanks Ino," he whispered. The blonde smiled softly to the Jinchūriki. "Take it easy and go see Tsunade-sama," she suggested as she walked away, ponytail swinging and white lab coat furling around her legs until she vanished around a corner._

_Naruto stood in the same spot for a while after that, staring where Ino had left, and crossing his arms over the coat he had stolen earlier. 'This is all my fault,' he thought brokenly. "Guess I'll go see Tsunade.." Pushing himself off of the wall and wincing at the sore ache in his chest, Naruto turned and made his way to the exit of hospital, finding the halls of the building were strangely empty and quiet while he stepped into the chaotic outside world of Konoha._

_Angry voices argued as figures flashed by Naruto's eyes, mostly people who were still evacuating from various parts of the village while shinobi of all ages and ranks fought against the civilian tide, leaping over rooftops or running through crowds to get to the village gates, where the majority of the destruction was...and where Naruto had pretty much exposed his existence to Konoha again. "There's no doubt about it," the blonde heard one man say as he made his way to the Hokage tower, "That HAD to have been Naruto. Nothing else could summon the Kyuubi like that..." _

_"Did he escape his captors?"_

_"If he did, why didn't he come back?"_

_"...Come back."_

_"Naruto wouldn't stay away, right?"_

_"He'd always said he'd protect the village as long as he could walk."_

_"Does he not care about the village anymore?"_

_"He couldn't have abandoned us..."_

_The questions and theories the Jinchūriki heard pierced Naruto's heart like a spear, and he bent his head to keep from other's seeing himself cry while he shoved his hands in his pockets and let the warm liquid sting his cheeks. _

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

_"Breathe Naruto," Naruto ordered to himself while he stood in the curving hallway in front of the oak door of Tsunade's office. The blonde found his lungs almost feeling filled with cement, unable to take in any air and making him lightheaded in his nervousness to see the old woman and to explain what he had thought of on the walk here...a theory on how to contain the Kyuubi if it broke out like it had the first night he had been back in Konoha. Taking in slow, deep gasps, Naruto calmed his heart rate and tightened his coat around his shoulders while he shook out his legs once to get the blood in them flowing once more, before cracking his neck and knocking on the door once...and upon hearing a muffled "enter!", he put his hand on the brass knob and turned it._

_Pushing the door inward, Naruto let his henge fall, even the one that he used to hide his Kyuubi-appearance, and stepped through the doorway. Closing his eyes briefly, Naruto heard the breaths of two or three people in the room as he shut the door softly behind himself and crossed his arms. "...Naruto..." a female voice that Naruto didn't realize he had wanted to hear whispered. He blinked his crimson eyes open softly and looked up to see the only living Sannin, Tsunade, sitting behind the mahogany desk of the Hokage's office, her hazel eyes wide as they locked on Naruto's form. The blazing orange and red of a summer sunset illuminated the room and made the mood feel like it belonged in some cheesy comedy and romance film rather than this horror show of real life, Naruto thought as he saw that Shikamaru was leaning by the wall to the blonde's left, and Shizune was holding her pig TonTon close to her chest by Tsunade's seat._

_The Hokage stood slowly, her rolling chair pushing back until it hit the windowed wall behind her as she put her hands on her desk, leaning forward. "...Hey," Naruto said quietly, not knowing what else to say as Tsunade made her way around her desk to stand in front of it, hazel eyes devoid of any emotion except relief and, for some reason, guilt, while she seemed to trace Naruto's form with her eyes. "You didn't...die?" The Sannin asked softly. Naruto snorted and shook his head. "I'm not just going to roll over for that dead son of a bitch," he replied, and then he stepped forward once. Tsunade seemed to flinch, but Naruto didn't bother to think about it as she too came closer to him, her heels clacking on the wooden floor until the shorter woman was standing directly in front of him._

_Then, as fast as a cheetah, her arms flashed out and crushed Naruto into a bone-breaking hug, her body shaking while she buried her face in his hair. "Three years," the Jinchūriki heard Tsunade whisper as she tightened her arms. "...Can't breathe," Naruto managed to choke out and could almost feel his eyes popping out of their sockets when Tsunade didn't release her death grip on his shoulders. "You deserve it for leaving," Tsunade retorted softly, but she did let go and stepped back, revealing that she had been crying during the exchange, and Naruto felt slightly bad. But only slightly._

_"Yeah...but I'm back," he offered instead of voicing his thoughts on the subject, managing a weak smile over at Shikamaru, who nodded and looked at the Hokage. "I guess I'm done with my report?" He asked in monotone while he pulled a cigarette and lighter from his vest pocket. Tsunade nodded without looking over at him. "Good." Shikamaru put his cigar in his mouth and lit the end, smoke trailing past his head as he walked by both the Sannin and Naruto, clapping a hand on the blonde's shoulder briefly before exiting the room. _

_Silence fell for a few minutes after that, and Naruto could almost hear the individual heartbeats of himself, Tsunade, Shizune, and TonTon in the tense quiet before Tsunade sighed and closed her eyes. "I could have you arrested for abandoning the village," she growled lowly. Naruto looked away, but not out of guilt for what he had done...but for how close her offer was to his plan. "But I won't-" "No," Naruto interrupted and met her eyes squarely. "Excuse me?" Tsunade asked. "...No. I need to be arrested," Naruto said slowly._

_"Naruto-kun, why?" Shizune asked quietly, but didn't move from her spot behind the Hokage desk as Tsunade nodded in agreement. Sucking in a deep breath, Naruto leaned back on the wooden door that led into the room and crossed his legs over each other. "Not just for defecting," he explained. "But the Kyuubi might try to break out again...and I can't be in the middle of the village when it does. I can't- I won't - put the villagers in that danger again." _

_Tsunade snorted. "We could keep a guard around you at all-" "No, don't you get it?" Naruto pleaded and looked back at Tsunade, waving his palm in front of his face. "The Kyuubi is already taking over me! The proof is right in front of you! He could break out at any time and I need to be as far as possible from here when it does._

_"I came back to get help from you to reseal the Kyuubi. And I can't leave now because there's people who know I'm back...and I can't break their hearts again just to save myself...or them, as much as they hate to admit that if I left it would be better..." Naruto trailed off into silence as Tsunade narrowed her eyes and her red-painted lips pulled into a thoughtful frown. "You do realize if I have you arrested that if you want to be released you will have to be put on trial," she said softly. Naruto nodded, and then Shizune coughed._

_"Or we could just keep him 'under surveillance' in maximum security," she offered slightly, and TonTon seemed to snort, as if concurring with the suggestion. "Does that sound fair?" Tsunade asked. Naruto nodded. "I have to be as restrained as possible so the Kyuubi can't do anything if it does break free," he said. "Very well..I'll call for an ANBU team to take you down there."_

* * *

Sighing, Naruto shifted again and glared at the torch outside of his cramped cell, feeling the urge to pee claw at his bladder. "Of all the times," he hissed to himself and rolled his wrists in their cuffs, flexing his fingers and avoiding arching his back, as he longed to do in the moment. Then he heard a heavy metal door open, and quick footsteps run down what seemed to be a stone hallway (Naruto didn't bother to remember what the outside of the prison looked like anymore) as the flame of the torch flickered and wavered in the wind caused by the door that had been opened.

Not even bothering to lift his head from staring at the ground that was just three or four inches below his feet, Naruto bit back a curse as the cold wind from "outside" brushed against his raw and still slightly burnt skin (the blisters had turned from angry red to pale pink in the almost two weeks Naruto had been locked up) and his chest felt like someone was taking a whip to it repeatedly. The footsteps then stopped in front of his cell, and the Jinchūriki heard heavy breathing on the other side of the bars while he continued to stare, eyes half-lidded, between his toes at the ground.

"...Naruto."

The voice was not one Naruto was expecting as his blonde head whipped up to look into the eyes of someone he never thought would be here.

"Why are you here?!"

* * *

**Kakashi**

It was official. The genin team Kakashi Hatake had raised was now beyond messed up. With one student near death and the other laid up in a hospital bed grieving about Kami knows what, Kakashi made his way to Konoha's prison to visit his last student who seemed to have to worst luck this world had to offer. Nodding at the ANBU that guarded the front doors; the Jounin was often a regular here because he would visit the normally unconscious Naruto for a few hours before returning to his aimless wandering of Konoha, waiting for news of Sakura and Sasuke until the next day, starting the cycle all over again each and every time.

"Kakashi-san," one ANBU with an eagle mask said quietly when the wolf approached the inner gates, which led to the catacombs that cut through Konoha's underground like spiderwebs. "I'm here to see _him_," Kakashi replied, keeping Naruto's name out of the subject. The ANBU nodded, and the Jounin was able to step through the iron gates that slid open on their own to reveal a dark tunnel leading into the earth.

After a long trek through dark hallways and past cells that held men and women who had long since succumbed to insanity or the acceptance of their fate, Kakashi found himself in front of an iron door with twelve bolts on either vertical side, completely bare of any handle or grip to push or pull the object open. Instead, Kakashi lifted his hitai-ate off of his head and placed it on the cool metal, Konoha's leaf symbol facing inward as a click resonated throughout the narrow hallway and the door slid aside to reveal an even darker dirt hallway with cobblestone flooring, one torch placed every ten feet or so while the hall curved to the right.

Following the familiar road, Kakashi heard the door slide shut behind himself...and he immediately knew something was very, very wrong.

There was a chakra at Naruto's cell that the Jounin could recgonize anywhere as his normal and sharnigan eyes widened drastically, and his feet automatically sprinted forward, blowing the flames of the torches out briefly before they flickered back to life and illuminated his path, hearing his heart in his ears. Rounding the turn, Kakashi stopped and held his breath as Minato Namikaze's black and yellow eyes met his own, Naruto slung over his shoulder with shackles on his wrists and ankles.

"...Kakashi," the former Hokage breathed out.

"..." Kakashi couldn't say anything in reply, frozen in the shock of seeing his dead sensei carrying his own son like a sack of rags. "How...how are you..." The wolf managed to stutter out, and Minato smiled sadly in response. "Obito and Madara," he said quietly and shifted Naruto's weight, his white cloak billowing around his ankles with the action. "Can't you break free of Edo-tensei?" Kakashi asked in awe. Minato shook his head slowly. "They're only letting my personality through so it would shock Naruto and give me time to free him," the blonde replied with regret apparent in his voice.

"I'm kidnapping my own son and handing him over to his death..."

Kakashi shook his head. "I'll stop you," he promised and pulled a kunai from his weapons pouch. "No," Minato replied. "Just get Naruto away from me...my order was to find Naruto, and I did. Just take him from me and I will have to return to them, because I completed what they asked for." Kakashi nodded slowly and stepped forward, seeing the physical restraint Minato was using to keep Madara's and Obito's orders to return Naruto to them at bay when the Jonin stopped in front of the blonde.

"I'm sorry, Minato-sensei," Kakashi said quietly and took Naruto into his arms, feeling Minato's hand briefly touch his in a friendly gesture. "It isn't your fault," the former Hokage replied softly...and then his paper-like form sunk into the floor and vanished. Closing his eyes, Kakashi released a pent up breath and felt Naruto shift, his skin slightly warm and clammy as the Jonin glanced back at the way he had come through the hallway.

"Naruto," he whispered and gently shook the blonde's shoulder. Naruto moaned in response, and Kakashi knew he needed to get Naruto back into his cell, but he just couldn't bring himself to do that...

He didn't want to lock his own student away to rot...but as it had been proven to Kakashi time and time again, the village came first. So he did what he was supposed to do; put Naruto back in those hanging chains and locked the cell door behind himself as he left the maximum security section of Konoha's prison without looking back, not intending on telling anyone of Minato's return to the world of the living.

* * *

**Sasuke **

"Alright Sasuke-san, now lift your right leg."

Clenching his teeth, Sasuke tried to do as his nurse of the day ordered, feeling the sweat on his brow while the area where Susano'o's sword had cut him ached and burned. Leg shaking, the raven managed to bring his leg off of the mattress he laid upon and, with a groan, held it in the air for five seconds before letting it flop pathetically back onto the sheets. "Good," the nurse said approvingly as she wrote something on her clipboard from her position by the edge of the bed. "Your recovery time is estimated to be around five months, since we need to allow time for the skin and nerves to knit back together, as well as muscle and blood vessels to repair themselves. I wouldn't recommend you for shinobi duty for at least eight, however..."

Sasuke grimaced at the mention of how long he would be without preforming missions. "Not even delivery missions?" He asked in a rather pitiful attempt to get around the restriction. "Not even that. You could be ambushed," the nurse replied and gathered her items, walking over to Sasuke's left, where she adjusted a few of the water drips on the IV racks and hummed to herself. "Sleep well," she said softly and made to leave when Sasuke coughed. "Wait," he said. "When can I get out of here?" The nurse looked back to her clipboard quickly before meeting Sasuke's anxious stare. "I wouldn't want you walking around for at least two weeks," she informed softly.

Sasuke was about to scowl when she continued, "But it's up to Ino-sama, since she was your head surgeon. I can get her in here if you want to ask her yourself." Sasuke nodded and turned his head away to look out of the window on his right, staring at the pale moon outside and listening to the nurse shut the door as she exited. "I'm not going to sit here for two fucking weeks," the Uchiha muttered and crossed his arms over his chest, grimacing as the IV drips in his arms tugged on his skin and brushed against each other.

He hadn't even heard anything concerning Sakura, even if it was approaching a week since he had woken up from his six day sleep after Madara's attack! Not to mention, everyone refused to speak of Naruto whenever they were around Sasuke...but he knew that they were whispering in the corners of his room when they thought he was asleep or not paying attention. "I always listen," Sasuke hissed aloud and was about to try and get out of bed when his door opened and a pair of heeled feet clicked inside, shutting the door and approaching his bedside. "I was told you wanted to see me?" Ino asked, and Sasuke turned his head to meet her blue-green stare.

"When can I get out of here," he said stiffly, cutting to the chase and not bothering to greet his doctor as Ino rolled her eyes. "When I say so," she replied and crossed her arms over her white lab-coat. "And when will that be," Sasuke asked impatiently. "Maybe a week. Three at most." Sasuke sighed and shut his eyes, feeling his blood pressure rise at the short answer.

"I can't wait that long Ino," the raven managed to grind out. "I...I need to know if Naruto and Sakura are alright." Ino's expression briefly became very fallen and upset at Sakura's name. "I can keep you updated on Sakura's condition," the blonde said softly and glanced at her clipboard. "Maybe even let you out to see her, in a wheelchair of course. She was released from surgery about three days ago..." Sasuke grimaced. Sakura's situation did not sound good...

"Will she be...fine?" The Uchiha asked, trying to find the right word. Ino looked away. "I...we aren't sure," she said finally. Sasuke's heart plummeted at the thought of Sakura, dead. She had been the only one there for him when he came back to Konoha...if she died then Sasuke knew he would just fall back into the emotionless state he had been in when he first arrived.

Besides Naruto, Sakura was the only person Sasuke depended on for everything.

Whatever expression crossed his face while thoughts of a dead Sakura invaded his head, Ino decided to become sympathetic and gently put her hand on his clenched fist. Sasuke decided not to speak then, knowing that, despite how much Ino annoyed him at times, the raven knew she needed Sakura as much as he did.

Eventually the noon sunlight that poured through Sasuke's window had become the dull dusk, and Ino had left without saying anything other than "I'll see you tomorrow for a post-op, Sasuke" and thus shut Sasuke into darkness. "I can't stay here for two weeks," the raven managed to whisper harshly to empty air. His eyes trailed to the bedside table set next to the wall, and the vase of flowers set next to it, courtesy of Hinata and apparently Lee, the latter of which disturbed Sasuke slightly...and a picture of Team 7 that Kakashi apparently had brought in from the raven's house.

And despite the fact that the Jonin had been in his _house_, and room at that, Sasuke was pleasantly surprised that the man would go to such lengths for his least trustworthy student.

* * *

**Sasuke**

**_Two weeks later..._**

"Okay Sasuke, try getting out of the chair," Ino ordered, standing in front of a seated Sasuke with her arms crossed. For his part, the raven had both of his hands gripping the armrest of the wheelchair he had been in for the past week and pushed himself onto his legs, slightly shaky, and leaned in his left leg while the blonde walked around him to unlock the chair and push it away. "If you need to, hold onto my shoulder as you walk," Ino instructed when she had walked over to Sasuke's right.

The Uchiha snorted, knowing he wouldn't need the help as he carefully lifted his right leg, feeling the twinge of the still closing wound in his hip, then propelled himself forward at an even pace. The end of the physical therapy room almost seemed to be running away from Sasuke as he shuffled, his vision coming to encase of nothing but his determined figure on the other side of the glass. He could see his legs shaking while he walked, and Ino appeared to be concerned about that fact, but Sasuke would be damned if he asked her for help!

At last, Sasuke stopped in front of the mirror, and turned to face his nurse who was busy writing on her clipboard, and then looked up at his expectant gaze. "Well?" The raven asked impatiently. Ino smiled slightly. "I guess you're good enough to be released," she sighed and flicked some strands of her ponytail over her shoulder. "But I want you on at least one crutch until you're next post-op...which is in about three weeks..." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Three weeks on a crutch! Ino-" "I don't want to hear it Sasuke," Ino interrupted and put her hands on her hips.

"This is what I order for the benefit of your health. In case you haven't noticed Sasuke, not everything is so peachy outside these walls, and you need to be recovered as soon as possible." Sasuke looked away and narrowed his eyes at a rack of dumbbells to his right. _As soon as I'm out, I'm coming for you Naruto,_ Sasuke promised silently. "I'm going to get your crutches, so just stay still for a bit," Ino said and promptly turned, the raven watching her retreating back until she vanished through the opposite doorway.

Leaning so his back was against the mirror behind himself, Sasuke inspected the long room and the numerous machines lined on against the wall and the area to the left, which was cut off by glass walls and contained a small swimming pool raised on a platform for aquatic therapy. _Just two months ago Naruto was in here,_ he thought bitterly while his eyes traveled to the door, waiting for Ino to come in with his crutches.

But, oddly, she wasn't coming bursting through like Sasuke had expected. "What the hell Ino," the Uchiha muttered, but remained in his spot while he counted the time on the clock over the doorway. It was almost seven forty in the morning. Eyes on that small red line that counted the seconds, Sasuke continued to count the time for at least another hour before a nurse came running in with two metal crutches.

Except the nurse wasn't Ino.

"Where's Ino?" Sasuke inquired as the woman approached and began to unwrap the thin plastic bag around the crutches. "She had to go tend to Sakura-san," the nurse replied quietly as Sasuke took the crutches and placed each under his arms. "Is she okay?" The Uchiha demanded and leaned forward so he could see her face better. The woman paled and stepped back a little bit. "I don't know, Uchiha-sama...but you need to go check out. That's what Ino-san ordered.." "To hell with that," Sasuke hissed and stuck his right leg out so it wouldn't have to brush the ground, beginning to crutch forward.

"Uchiha-sama, Sakura-san isn't allowed to have visitors right now..." The nurse whispered as she bustled to Sasuke's side. "You think I don't know that?" The raven said in annoyance as he recalled the time he had been refused entrance into her hospital room.

"Sasuke."

The raven had barely managed to leave the room and turn to Sakura's ward when he was suddenly met with a certain Hatake Kakashi leaning against the wall in front of him. "What are you doing here Kakashi," Sasuke asked, pausing just to hear his former sensei's explanation. The man cocked his head slightly to the left as he uncrossed his arms over his Jonin vest. "Visiting two of my favorite students, of course," the Jonin replied smoothly.

"Kakashi...you only have three students," Sasuke reminded, feeling a bit confused to the man's stupidity. "Who said all three can't be my favorite?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke shook his head. "Can I go see Sakura now?" He demanded. Kakashi shook his head. "She's gone into cardiac arrest," the wolf replied.

The words "cardiac arrest" pounded on Sasuke's mind.

"I thought her heart was fine," the raven snarled and threw his crutches to the ground, limping forward to glare into Kakashi's visible eye. "Apparently, it's been pumping top hard for her body to cope. It just shut down," Kakashi explained. Scowling, Sasuke prepared to shove the man out of his way when the wolf put his gloved hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "I can't let you visit her right now," he murmured, "But I can take you to see Naruto."

Sasuke stiffened at the mention of Naruto's name. "...I can't choose between them, Kakashi," he whispered and felt his resolve break. Although even he knew he would choose Naruto over Sakura any day, it still hurt to make that decision... "We'll see about Sakura tomorrow," Kakashi said and turned Sasuke around, escorting him back to his crutches.

"Let's go see Naruto."

As Sasuke bent to retrieve his crutches, one bloody tear drop fell from his eye and landed on his hand.


	26. Kiss and tell

Kiss and tell

**Sasuke**

_**Three weeks later...**_

"Dammit Tsunade," Sasuke hissed as he slammed his hands down on the mahogany desk in front of him. The raven was seeing red and he could have sworn that if he wasn't secretly terrified of the Sannin in front of him, he would have punched her instead of the table. As it was, he was having a hard time restraining himself from burning down the entire tower as he glared at the Hokage, who was leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed.

"I've told you this already Sasuke," Tsunade replied evenly, her unwavering hazel gaze trained on Sasuke's furious and annoyed onyx. "Naruto himself asked to be locked up. Until he asks to be released there is nothing I can do!" Sasuke sucked in a deep breath and leaned up, narrowing his eyes. "There's no law that's stopping you," he hissed in reply. Tsunade nodded in agreement. "But there's the matter of Naruto's pride," replied the Sannin as she decided to crack her knuckles.

Sasuke's scowl deepened.

"I don't give a shit about his _pride_ right now," the Uchiha growled and stepped back from the desk to pace in circles around the oval room. "Sasuke-" "Listen to me, Tsunade," Sasuke interrupted without pausing his stride. "I _saw_ him in that jail cell. His wounds aren't even healed properly! How could you just throw him in that cell without healing them?!" Tsunade looked away, her eyes narrowing as she stared at a pile of books to her left.

"Look brat. I hate the fact that I put him in there as much as you do. But the village comes first in this situation," the blonde growled in reply and spared a glance up at the annoyed Uchiha. Her eyes, surprisingly, looked just as upset and angry as Sasuke felt...if not more. Despite himself, a spike of jealously rose in the raven, directed at the Hokage who had come to know Naruto nearly as well as he did.

"Just get him out of there," Sasuke decided to take a different tactic that was a serious blow to his pride. Begging. "Please. Take him to the hospital or let me take him home, but please just get him out of that hell hole." Tsunade exhaled quickly and stood from her seat, stepping around the desk in front of her to stand in front of the now stationary Uchiha with a grim expression.

"If word gets out that Naruto is injured like he is, Madara will only come sooner," she warned quietly. "And I'm sure that as a Konoha ninja, you would put the village first as well." Now it was Sasuke's turn to avert his gaze. "When did Naruto become so worthless to you," he asked. It was a low blow, sure...but if it got Naruto out of that cell and back at his side, he'd cut off his own arms of Tsunade asked him to.

True to his suspicions, once Sasuke looked up he could see the Hokage staring at him with an openly hurt expression and her eyebrows raising into her hairline. Then she began to glare at the raven. "Don't you dare say I don't care about the brat, Uchiha," the Sannin snarled. "If you care so much, then why is he still down there," Sasuke replied calmly, his eyes flicking briefly to the Hokage's shaking fists.

"In fact, why didn't you notice there was something wrong with him three years ago?" The Uchiha continued scathingly, trying to find that one little crack in Tsunade's defense that would lead to Naruto's release. And as much as he disliked causing this sort of emotional pain on someone he had come to somewhat like, he was willing to stoop this low for Naruto.

"Don't go there Uchiha," Tsunade snarled and Sasuke could tell her resolve was wavering, due to the furious tone of her voice that contrasted with the wetness of her eyes. "What Naruto needs right now is help," he countered. "And shoving him down into a prison cell isn't getting him that!" "It's what he wanted!" argued Tsunade, who seemed to notice her fists shaking and stilled them by crossing her arms over her chest. "It isn't what he needs. You know that," Sasuke replied and stepped back. Tsunade sighed and shook her head.

"I cannot believe you," she muttered. "Just like Naruto...when it comes to him, you dig your heels into the ground until you get what you want." Sasuke allowed a small smirk to cross his lips before returning to his stoic state. "So will you release him?" The raven demanded. Tsunade stepped back and returned to her desk, standing with her back to the boy and looking out to the village below.

Wind rustled through the open windows while the Sannin seemed to ponder her decision, and Sasuke could feel his heart beating quite loudly in his chest while he waited for the verdict. He knew that if the answer was no, he would come back to this office each and every day until the answer was changed to yes. Finally..."Sasuke, you are one stubborn kid. You...you have no idea what you're dealing with."

Sasuke cocked his head to the side, confused about the sudden train of thought Tsunade had taken. "The Kyuubi is a very dangerous force of nature, and Naruto only has to slip once to let it loose. If he does, I don't think he can gain control like he did the first night he was back...you saw with your own eyes the destruction the demon created, and it wasn't even fully released yet..." Tsunade trailed off with her hands clasped behind her back while she continued to stare at the bustling figures below the tower.

"...But despite that, I will let him out of maximum security, on one condition." "Which is?" Sasuke asked in reply, trying to keep his eagerness out of his voice. Tsunade looked over her shoulder, and his elatedness dimmed at the dull look in her expressive hazel eyes. "If the Kyuubi is to attempt and succeed an escape again, you are to stop it...by any means possible." Sasuke didn't miss the hidden meaning in that last line.

If necessary, kill Naruto.

A shiver ran down the Uchiha's spine as his blood ran cold at the sentence. "It won't come to that," he growled. "You cannot guarantee that Uchiha," Tsunade murmured. "The Forth couldn't when his wife was giving birth to Naruto." Sasuke looked at his feet, his happiness turning to certainty in his decision. "I will not kill him," he declared and glanced back up at his Hokage. Tsunade snorted. "I'll have him brought to your house tomorrow," she said softly. "Ino will check up on him and you every day until you two are healed. He is not to leave that house until he is cleared. Understood?" Sasuke nodded once as Tsunade looked at him.

"Good. Now get the hell out of my office, Uchiha." now it was Sasuke's turn to snort. "Yes, Hokage-_sama_," he said sarcastically and made his way to the office door, opening it and closing it behind his back, nodding to the ANBU that guarded the front entrance. Walking down the hall, the raven tried to keep from too excited for the next day.

Because, despite Naruto's ridiculous "martyr" attitude, Sasuke wanted him out of that hell hole of a prison.

8-8-8-8-8-8

Loud snarls awoke Sasuke the next morning, causing him to snap his eyes open and see harsh sunlight pouring through his open window. Surpressing a pained groan, the raven rolled onto his side and shoved his pillow over his head. The snarls didn't decrease in volume. "Shut up, Kya," he yelled, and was able to briefly enjoy blissful silence before a heavy weight slammed into his bedroom door.

Groaning, Sasuke blinked open his eyes to see his dresser facing him, left arm dangling off the bed and feeling his sheets bunched around his waist. A cold breeze brushed over his shirtless chest (mainly because he had been ordered to not wear shirts at night because of his wound) as he sat up on the edge of the mattress and combed his fingers through his hair while flexing his toes.

Now, normally, Sasuke didn't sleep like he was half drunk. He would instead lay on his back and stay in that position for the whole night. But the fact that Naruto was coming back for the second time had him as happy as a young child during a festival.

Plus the excitement he had originally felt was now doubled due to the fact that he now knew that he was in love with the idiotic blonde.

Standing and stretching his back, Sasuke opened his dresser drawers and pulled out a white, long sleeved shirt with the Uchiha fan stitched into the back by the high collar, and decided he would remain in the grey slacks that he had worn to bed the night before as he heard something sigh on the other side of the door. Scowling, the raven managed to stalk over to his bedroom door without stomping and opened the door (quite calmly mind you), prepared to shoo Kya out the back door.

But instead he was met with Ino standing against the opposite wall in the hallway, arms crossed over her short, sleeveless green dress with annoyed expression on her face. The raven rolled his eyes and leaned against the open doorframe. "Do come in, Ino," Sasuke said sarcastically. Ino snorted and nodded towards Kya. "I spent the past fifteen minutes knocking and you didn't answer. Kya had to get the spare key from the fountain in the front yard so I could let myself in," the kunochi replied.

Sparing a quick glare towards the wolf, Sasuke sighed. "Do I need to go get Naruto now?" The raven asked. Ino looked away sheepishly. "I actually already put him in the guest room," the blonde admitted. Sasuke arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Is he hurt?" He asked worriedly. After all, he didn't want to walk into that bedroom and find Naruto missing an arm or something. Ino laughed. "Despite what you expect from him Sasuke, once I properly closed most of his scratches he was too tired to even walk," she said.

"But he's still got some wounds that I can't heal, like the one in his back. I managed to mend some broken ribs and some burns he got from the Kyuubi."

Sasuke nodded once. "Any meds?" He asked. "On the bedside table. I left some instructions for when he should take them...I left some refills for you too," Ino replied, stepping to the side to allow Kya to stand and exit the hallway through the back door. "...Anything else I should know?" Sasuke questioned after the two had stared after Kya for a while. "Just that I'll be stopping by tomorrow at noon to check on you two," Ino informed, then turned to leave the house.

"Just don't kill each other while I'm gone!"

And then the house was silent.

Shaking his head, Sasuke sighed and shut his eyes while listening to Ino's footsteps fading away from his front porch, making sure the kunochi wasn't eavesdropping by the door instead of leaving. Once he was certain the blonde had indeed left, the Uchiha pushed himself from the doorway and went into the small kitchen across the hall, deciding he'd make himself (and Naruto) some soup while trying to listen for any signs of the blonde's presence in the room two doors down from where Sasuke was now.

Pulling a metal pot down from the cabinet above the stove, Sasuke decided the small whoosh of air he heard every few seconds was Naruto either snoring or sighing. He let a brief smile touch his lips while he went about making some more homemade tomato soup- the store bought stuff in a can could never compare to the taste of homemade- as he thought of having to spoon feed Naruto the food if the blonde couldn't reach up for the food on his own.

Then the Uchiha grimaced when he remembered _why_ Naruto would have to be in that situation. Unconsciously cutting into a tomato harder than he intended and sending juice splattering to the walls and countertops, he tried to remember if Tsunade had said anything about Madara returning during her talk with him yesterday. To his dismay, he did not recall any mention of his "deceased" clan member.

Setting the stove to boiling, Sasuke let to soup begin to simmer while he searched for a small tray to carry the bowls with and set the cutlery on the surface. It almost felt like he was preparing a breakfast for his mother, like he used to do when he was younger with Itachi. He smiled at the bittersweet memory before realizing he was comparing the boy he loved to his mother, while would be slightly disturbing to most people. In fact, the notion that he even _loved_ Naruto like that might upset some people.

But Sasuke wasn't one to care about other people's opinions.

Flipping through a cookbook that TenTen had bought him once and he had never read, the Uchiha skimmed through a recipe for some sort of seafood dish until he heard the satisfying hiss of the soup. Putting the book down and going over to the pot, he turned the heat to low and started scooping the soup into the two bowls he had set aside for himself and for Naruto, then added two parsley leaves into the liquid before picking up the tray and exiting the room.

Balancing the tray precariously with his right hand, he knocked twice on the bedroom door. "...Naruto?" The raven asked tentatively. A few moments of silence followed, and Sasuke was about to turn thinking the blonde was asleep when a muffled voice replied to his question. "Yeah...come on," a hoarse voice scratchy with disuse replied. Sasuke frowned, but slowly opened the door and the first thing he saw was that the bedroom window was open, a warm breeze flowing past the billowing, cream colored curtains.

Looking down and to the left, the raven saw the multitude of colorful bottles Ino and indicated earlier along with a piece of paper folded into thirds by the lamp, as well as a smaller group of bottles that he assumed were his. Then his eyes landed on the relaxed figure on the bed.

Bandages wrapped up and down the blonde's arms, stopping just at the shoulders before what looked like a sleeveless top covered the toned torso. Weary blue eyes watched Sasuke as the raven stared at Naruto, who was sitting with a number of pillows pushed against the wall and reading a book. Blinking once, Sasuke pushed aside the bottles on the table next to the bed and set the tray down before gently lowering himself onto the bed, by Naruto's covered legs.

The two simply stared at each other for awhile, neither speaking nor seemingly even breathing while they watched. Sasuke didn't dare to predict what Naruto was feeling, but he knew what he felt quite well.

Relief that the blonde was safe. Upset that he was wounded the way he was. Betrayed that he would throw himself into prison.

Finally deciding to break the silence, Sasuke sighed and reached for the tray, extending its legs and setting it hovering over Naruto's lap. "Want something to eat?" The raven asked. Naruto blinked suddenly, as if in a trance, and then nodded. Sasuke smirked internally as the blonde appeared to try and lift his arms to eat.

"Need some help?" He asked, trying to keep from laughing as Naruto glared at him. "Stuff it bastard," the Jinchūriki growled while his eyebrows scrunched together in either pain or concentration while his right arm trembled, barely above his leg. Reaching for the spoon in Naruto's bowl, he took a spoonful out and held in front of Naruto's lips. "Come on then," he sighed, while inside his mind his inner fangirl was shrieking from the sheer cuteness Naruto was giving off...

_I did not just think that,_ Sasuke thought in horror while Naruto continued to glare at him. "Just eat the soup already, idiot," the Uchiha said. "I'm not a child," Naruto mumbled and tried to lift his arm again. "But you are unable to lift your hand off the bed," the raven noted and could almost see the blow to Naruto's pride take place. Closing his eyes, the blonde grimaced and reluctantly opened his mouth, allowing Sasuke room to put the spoon onto his tongue. Another wave of longing broke through Sasuke as he fed Naruto, and he couldn't help but feel this was...almost...

Meant to be.

Surprisingly, after the first few spoonfuls, Naruto was not as opposed to being fed; in fact, he began to want the soup in faster portions. Sasuke tried not to scowl as he thought that Naruto probably didn't eat much in the maximum security cell. Once the soup in Naruto's bowl was gone, Sasuke set down the spoon and picked up his own bowl and utensil and began to eat as well while Naruto looked past his shoulder and out of the open window.

The raven tried not to be bothered by the distant look in Naruto's eyes, except he couldn't help but to notice the slight sadness in those cerulean eyes while he watched the blonde out of the corner of his vision. Finishing his portion, Sasuke lifted the tray off of Naruto's lap and set it by the bedside table. The blonde's unfocused gaze snapped to Sasuke's face as the raven sighed. "Now that the pleasantries are over with...why am I here, Sasuke," Naruto growled and clenched his fists. Sasuke closed his eyes. "You shouldn't have been down there Naruto," the raven replied lowly.

"The Kyuubi is too dangerous to let around like this!" Naruto whispered angrily. "He can break free at any time! If I were down in that cell then I couldn't have hurt anyone!" Sasuke shook his head. "That's bullshit," he snarled. "You were willing to rot away in a jail cell instead of getting help! You wanted to take the easy way out of this situation, and now you're stuck with me because of it." Naruto's eyes narrowed, and Sasuke saw that familiar flash of red in those blue irises.

"...Listen, _teme_," Naruto growled, his voice deepening slightly. "Unlike you, I care about this village. If I were out here when the Kyuubi tries to break free..." The Jinchūriki shivered. "What if it hurts Sakura, Kakashi...you..." Sasuke blinked at the mention of himself. "I can take care of myself Naruto," the raven murmured. "Sakura, Kakashi...hell, the entire village can. You don't have to shoulder all of this alone.."

Naruto turned his head to stare at the bedroom door.

Leaning forward, Sasuke gently put his palm on Naruto's cheek and drew the blonde's gaze back to meet his now smoldering black. Naruto opened his mouth, about to seemingly voice his confusion, when Sasuke began to rub his thumb lightly over the whisker scars on his face. "I was hoping I'd never have to say this," Sasuke muttered. Naruto blinked once, and then his eyes began to widen as Sasuke brought his face even closer to the blonde's.

The Uchiha's heart was racing at breakneck speeds as his lips barely hovered over Naruto's. He brought his right hand up and slowly grasped Naruto's shoulder, the blonde stiffening even more at the touch. "...Sasuke...what are you doing," Naruto asked quietly, and his achingly warm breath brushed against Sasuke's mouth. The raven didn't reply, but only stared into those blue eyes that he didn't even know he had longed to see for so long...

And then he couldn't take it anymore.

Closing the last few inches- hell, centimeters- between themselves, Sasuke brought his lips down onto Naruto's. The Jinchūriki's eyes stayed wide open in shock as Sasuke's descended close, a warm feeling spreading through the Uchiha's heart and down to the very tips of his fingers, his toes. He tried moving his lips against Naruto's, hoping to make the blonde respond as he whispered in his mind...

_I love you, Naruto. _

8-8-8-8-8-8

**Ino**

Sakura's bruised form still refused to move from its trancelike state on her hospital bed in front of Ino. The blonde was sitting in a chair facing the rosette, holding a magazine that she wasn't even reading, instead she was watching her best friend's face intently for any sign of acknowledgement to the outside world. Nothing. Sighing in disappointment, Ino returned her unwilling eyes to the laminated paper in her hands and combed her fingers through her ponytail absentmindedly.

"Ino."

The kunochi turned around in her chair and saw Shikamaru leaning in the open doorway that led into Sakura's room, Choji close behind him, both wearing equal, worried expressions on their face. "Oh...uh, hey, Shikamaru...Choji," Ino greeted. _Why are they here?_ She asked to herself. Shikamaru nodded in Sakura's direction. "Mind if we come in?" He asked. Ino nodded slowly. Stepping forward, both of her teammates approached and stopped at the foot of Sakura's bed.

Shikamaru spent a few minutes staring at Sakura's face while Choji's solemn eyes didn't leave the wall over the comatose kunochi's head. Then..."Ino, shouldn't you be home right now?" Shikamaru asked quietly. Ino glanced back down at the magazine. "I'm supposed to be watching Sakura," she replied. "When it's your shift...which ended about three hours ago." Choji glanced down at the blonde. "Ino, we're worried about you," the brunette said in a soft tone.

Ino blinked and tried her best to not stand up and punch each of them back to their senses. She was just fine! There wasn't anything wrong with her..."I'm okay," she said. "I'll go home in a few minutes..." Shikamaru seemed to shake his head as he walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll go home now," he murmured. Ino stared up at him with shocked eyes. Choji stepped back as Shikamaru stood Ino up and slowly steered her towards the door, then fell into step on her right side as the Jonin stopped.

"Your parents haven't seen you for days Ino," Shikamaru said, and a short pang of guilt racked Ino's mind. "I've been taking care of Sasuke and Naruto," she countered and wrenched her shoulder from the shadow-user's grasp, spinning to face both of her teammates furiously. "And I have to be here when Sakura wakes up!" "If she wakes up, Ino," Choji corrected quietly.

Ino felt her heart crack when she heard her teammate, her friend, utter those words.

"No...no, she's going to wake up," she murmured, panic rising when she felt for the first time, the panic that whispered to her, _"She might not get up again..."_ Shikamaru nodded. "Ino, you can't keep holing up in Sakura's hospital room," he stated. "You have people who care about you, and even we know that this...obsession with Sakura...is getting out of hand." Ino's eyes widened. "She's my friend!" She whispered. "Why can't I just stay with her? What's so wrong about that?" "It's gotten to the point where you refuse to leave the hospital or even eat, Ino," Choji said.

"This isn't healthy for you." Shikamaru nodded. "Stop beating yourself up over Sakura," he murmured. Ino closed her eyes as her shoulders began to shake with unspoken sobs. Then her eyes flew open as she felt someone embrace her, and she glanced up to see both Choji and Shikamaru wrap their arms around her. "She may even wake up tomorrow," Choji murmured in her ear. Tears spilled slowly over Ino's sea foam eyes while she buried her face in Shikamaru's vest-covered chest.

_You two...how could I possibly deserve to have such wonderful teammates._

* * *

Gasp! Finally got some SasuNaru in! I'm so sorry for the lack of updates, I've had, like, a drought of inspiration lately which I'm trying to overcome. So just bear with me and I'll try to make it worthwhile :) I'd like to say that despite how long it took me to finally put SasuNaru into the story, it will pick up from here. This story is going to go on for quite a long time and I don't plan on making it a two-parter...yet...but trust me, there's about to be some major fluff, angst, and lemony goodness all up in here ;D so until next time, see ya!


	27. Certainty

Certainty

**Naruto**

_Shit! Shit! What is he doing!?_

Naruto could barely keep himself from hyperventilating as Sasuke's eyes closed, the raven's lips pressing against the blonde's harder and moving in slow circles. The Uchiha's hands were pressed against the pillows on either side of Naruto's head, and before the Jinchūriki could even snap himself out of the frozen trance he was in, Sasuke had moved his right leg such that he was straddling- and pinning - the blonde.

Azure eyes were locked on the raven's closed eyelids as the man on top of Naruto's waist began to press his lips harder on the pair beneath them, their movements becoming more desperate...almost as if Sasuke was trying to tell him something. Naruto didn't understand why he couldn't have just said it instead of molesting him. The blonde kept his lips stiff and unresponsive as Sasuke continued to try and get a response, eventually starting to lower himself onto Naruto's...lower region.

_Oh hell no!_

A low moan seemed to emit from Sasuke's throat as Naruto opened his mouth- to yell and then give himself time to punch the pervert mind you- but instead the Uchiha shoved his tongue into Naruto's lips and set to work prodding every inch of the crevice. Sasuke's left hand moved behind the blonde's head and cradled it as he slowly leaned the Jinchūriki up. Shots of pain lanced up Naruto's spine as the slash mark that was still healing on his back began to stretch.

This time Naruto moaned; but in pain, not in pleasure. At the noise, Sasuke's hazy eyes opened slowly while he _continued_ to tilt Naruto -_does the guy have no idea when enough is enough?- _until whatever fantasy he was living in was shattered by Naruto glaring at him with angry, pain-filled eyes. Once he had the raven's shocked attention, Naruto very deliberately brought his face out from under Sasuke's and tried not to hiss as Sasuke's right hand suddenly moved to his back to support the blonde in sitting up. Except he didn't _want_ to sit up, dammit!

Confusion riddled Sasuke's expression as Naruto continued to glare at him; the blonde was beginning to wonder of the Uchiha had any concept of "personal space" and "asking for permission".

_I guess, when you're an Uchiha, you always get what you want,_ Naruto thought while the two continued to stare at each other, neither wanting to speak first and neither wanting to say what they were feeling. Eventually, Naruto decided to grow a pair and breathed deeply through his nose, and then out of his slightly swollen mouth. "...I'm only going to ask once...What the hell, Sasuke?!" he murmured, dangerously quiet. Sasuke's eyes widened. "I...thought you..." The raven didn't continue. Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Thought what?" He asked. "That I _like_ being molested by the guy who's supposed to be my best friend? That I want to just have you _kiss_ me when I'm pretty much laying on my death bed? Don't look at me like that. You know it's true!"

Sasuke looked to the floor and winced again...but he didn't remove himself from Naruto's body. Desperation was apparent on the raven's face as Naruto looked at him, as well as..."No, Naruto...you don't understand." Naruto's eyes widened slightly as Sasuke looked back at him with sad onyx eyes. "What do you mean?" He asked despite himself. Then anger coursed through him again. "I'm not some...some...toy, Sasuke! If you want to fuck someone so bad, go to a bar and pick someone up! I'm not going to be your...your...plaything!" "I know you're not!" Sasuke shouted back, and much to Naruto's relief (and slight disappointment) he lowered Naruto back onto the pillows he had been leaning on before this whole mess.

"...I know you're not, Naruto," the raven repeated in a softer voice. Naruto kept his face blank as Sasuke breathed deeply and seemed to stiffen his shoulders. "Do you remember that mission to the Land of Snow? With the princess and the jewel*?" Naruto slowly nodded. "...When you were captured...I was, I guess, terrified. I, none of knew what was happening to you and it scared us...it scared me.

"Or the mission to the Land of Waves. When Haku was about to...stab you, I just couldn't let that happen. I told you, my body moved on its own...and when I saw you again at Orochimaru's lair, and you started to cry. You _cried_, and I tried to be disgusted by that. But I couldn't get the sight of your face out of my head after that. Even after I killed Itachi..." Sasuke breathed deeply and closed his eyes. "And when I thought you were dead three years ago...it was one of the hardest things I've had to go through," he whispered. Naruto continued to watch the raven as he raised his head slightly.

"Even after I hated _everything_ you stood for, Konoha...and those damn bonds of yours...I just couldn't bring myself to hate you." Sasuke's eyes snapped open and his stormy black eyes connected with Naruto's impassive blue. "It took me this long to realize I love you." Naruto blinked, unable to keep the shock from crossing his features. "You...love me?" The blonde echoed, trying to wrap his brain around the fact that the boy he considered his best friend...loved him. Sasuke nodded once, slowly.

Confusion racked Naruto's mind as he tried to come to terms with the revelation. Sasuke appeared to be very...nervous. "Say something," the raven demanded quietly. Naruto looked down at his lap, unsure of what it was that Sasuke wanted him to say. "Why are you telling me this now," the blonde asked then. He needed to know..."...I...have no idea if I'm going to see you tomorrow," Sasuke replied. "You, and Tsunade, and Sakura...you all make it sound like the Kyuubi could rip you apart every hour of the day-" "Because it can," Naruto interrupted despite himself.

Sasuke glowered at him. "Every day I'll wake up and I'll wonder if you're still alive. It's so nerve wracking to not know if you're breathing or not," he continued, and crossed his legs on the mattress. Naruto glanced away. "If I didn't tell you this today...would I have had the chance tomorrow? Or the next day? Tell me honestly Naruto. When in these three years have you been certain you would see the sun rise again? When you've been certain you'd see the people you love again?" _I haven't_, Naruto wanted to say. _I've never been certain. I've never even known if I'd see you again..._

Sasuke seemed to take his silence as an answer. The raven nodded, and Naruto tried not to flinch as his friend...or whatever he was, brushed his knuckles lightly against his cheek. "If you died without me telling you this...I don't think I could have lived with it," the Uchiha murmured. Naruto tried to sit still as Sasuke put his palms on the blonde's cheeks and began to lean closer.

"...May I?"

Naruto's eyes widened at the soft question. "May you what," he replied. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and the Jinchūriki laughed slightly. "May I kiss you," Sasuke clarified, and the mood changed from humorous to heavy again. Naruto gulped nervously. "I..." Naruto closed his eyes. "...This isn't right, you know..." He whispered. "Since when have you been one to follow the rules," Sasuke retorted quietly, and Naruto knew the raven was right. He never followed the rules...even when it came to kissing, it seemed.

Warm breath brushed softly on the blonde's lips as he opened his eyes slightly to see Sasuke's onyx orbs gazing back at him, with a very rare show of emotion in those dark depths. "I don't expect you to love me back," the Uchiha murmured, and Naruto found himself, strangely, _yearning_ for the warmth that left those pale lips with each word, "But...please allow me this."

Then Sasuke pressed his lips against Naruto's, and this time...Naruto kissed him back.

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

**Shikamaru**

On the other side of Konoha, Nara Shikamaru was busy assessing the damage done by Naruto's battle with Madara. So far, the entire Northern Wall was completely demolished and the two guard towers that led into Konoha were nothing but piles of rubble. The large crater Naruto had created had also effectively demolished twelve homes and four shops, two of which people had been in at the time of the explosion. The Jonin rubbed his temple as he felt a headache growing, then returned to writing a report of the damage while sitting on a loose piece of cobblestone that had been blasted from the wall's foundation.

A warm breeze fluttered through the village, a stark contrast to the stormy emotions of the villagers and shinobi alike as both groups bustled through the wreckage, picking up pieces of rock and boulders and lugging them out of the village, a steady procession that reminded Shikamaru of a parade of ants. "This is going to be troublesome," the genius yawned as he scrawled out the estimated cost the damages would require and the amount of materials most likely needed. Labor would come by easy; certainly, Genin teams could handle putting cement slabs into mortar and painting.

Footsteps apporached the boy from behind, and a few seconds later a hand was clapped on his shoulder. Shikamaru glanced up and saw none other but Sabuku no Temari smirking down at him with a traveling pack slung over her shoulders. "Gaara said you might need some help," she stated and motioned for the Jonin to scoot over. Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru complied and allowed Temari to sit next to him. "The news got to Suna?" He asked. "Tsunade-sama sent a runner to Gaara in case Madara stopped by," Temari explained. Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow.

"Gaara isn't a Jinchūriki anymore," he queried. "Killer B is staying with us a for a few months so he can train," the blonde replied and crossed her arms while she watched the villagers clear out the wreckage. "Madara and Naruto really did a number." Shikamaru's eyes widened. "How do you know about Naruto?" He asked. "Tsunade-sama told us..." Temari yawned. "Plus, Naruto stayed with us for a couple of years...before a certain accident."

Despite how troublesome the conversation was getting, Shikamaru allowed himself to show the interest he felt. "What accident?" He asked and glanced over at his companion. Temari's knowing smirk fell into a frown. "Gaara was trying to teach Naruto how to control the Kyuubi with such a weak seal," she began.

"But...something went wrong. Even Gaara doesn't know what. But the Kyuubi nearly...released, fully. Thankfully we were so far away from the village that no-one noticed or got hurt, but Naruto suffered some very severe burns and Gaara had some broken ribs."

Shikamaru breathed out slowly. "And this happened while you were trying to get the Kyuubi under control?" He asked. Temari nodded. "After a couple of days of resting Naruto decided it would be safer if he went on his own," she said. "We haven't seen him since then." She looked towards him again. "But when Tsunade-sama's runner told us Naruto was back in the village, Gaara wanted to come here and see for himself. Too bad he's the Kazekage, he can barely get out of his own office with the amount of paperwork he has," she said teasingly, "So here I am."

"To see Naruto?" Shikamaru asked. Temari shook her head. "Mainly just to check on Konoha's defenses," she replied. "Since all the nations are allies for once, we all need to be on equal ground with our defense systems. If Madara strikes again, it could be any one of us. He just came here first in the hopes of getting Naruto." The blonde shot a quick glance at the Jonin. Shikamaru yawned and returned to staring at his clipboard, troubled thoughts about what the Kyuubi could do running through his mind...

_We have to help Naruto. Fast._

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

**Sasuke**

It all seemed too good to be true.

Sasuke had managed to tell Naruto that he loved him (without blushing or anything!) and the blonde was kissing him back. The raven could hardly believe the suprisingly soft but firm texture of Naruto's lips, so much different from kissing a girl (or Sasuke presumed, since he never had kissed one). Having Naruto accept him, and having Naruto return the affection in part, was more than Sasuke could ever wish for.

The raven returned themselves to the position they had been in before Naruto had shoved him away, stradling the blonde's hips...but not holding the blonde's back, since that seemed to have hurt him before. Sasuke broke their lips briefly for air that he didn't know he was lacking, and then continued to gently massage Naruto's lips with his own while stroking the whiskered scars on either of the Jinchūriki's cheeks with his thumbs.

He bit Naruto's lower lip gently, silently asking for entrance into Naruto's mouth. The blonde seemed to hesitate, and Sasuke was about to open his eyes to see if Naruto wanted to stop when his lips slowly parted underneath the raven's. Lowering himself a little more, Sasuke stuck his tongue gently inbetween Naruto's teeth and prodded gently at Naruto's own tongue, feeling the Jinchūriki respond by sucking lightly on the organ and making Sasuke shiver.

The Uchiha's hands slowly left Naruto's face, his right going to steady himself over Naruto's body on the mattress while the left roamed over Naruto's chest and tried to peel the bandages covering his tan skin away. He blinked his eyes open when Naruto froze and stared at Sasuke, disconnecting their lips.

"...No."

Sasuke tried not to grimace at the denial while he left his fingertips barely under Naruto's bandaging. "Why not?" He asked softly. Naruto turned his head to the side, exposing a very delectable carmel neck that Sasuke was trying not to drool at the sight of. "I told you. I'm not some plaything," Naruto repeated his statement from earlier and met Sasuke's gaze with determined blue eyes, his right eye showing small flecks of crimsion near the pupil. "I know you're not-" "Sasuke, stop."

Sasuke closed his mouth as Naruto blinked. "First of all...I'm sort of still recovering from that little episode with Madara. It would hurt like hell, and I'd get blood everywhere and then you'd yell at me...and I wouldn't listen and tell you to fuck off... Secondly...don't people normally take this slow? Because, apparently, you want me to be the girl in this relationship," Sasuke tried not to smirk at the hurt expression on Naruto's face at the admission, "Which I don't like, by the way, but I don't want to...you know..._do it_ now."

Sasuke nodded. "But you do...want to...be with me?" He asked slowly, trying not to seem awkward as Naruto closed his eyes. "I don't have much of a choice do I...since you always get what you want," Naruto replied quietly and smiled softly. Sasuke's heart stopped as Naruto looked at him again. "I still don't appreciate you trying to molest me earlier though," he continued more roughly, and Sasuke smirked. "Get used to it," the raven said and stood, leaning down to kiss Naruto's forehead and relishing in the fact that he could _do_ that now. "Get some sleep, I'll bring some dinner for you later," he said with his lips still brushing Naruto's skin lightly.

"I don't want anything with those damn tomatoes in it."

Sasuke chuckled softly. "No promises..._dobe_," he whispered the nickname for the first time in six years and heard Naruto inhale sharply, not missing the insult Sasuke had spoken. "Heh...Get out teme. I'm trying to sleep." Smirking and putting his hand in Naruto's hair, Sasuke ruffled it lightly and stood straight, going to the bedroom door and watching as Naruto adjusted the pillows on his back so he was laying down and made sure the blonde closed his eyes before exiting the doorway and shutting the door.

The Uchiha stood with his back against the wooden door for awhile after that, hearing Naruto's breathing even out into the telltale signs of sleep and the wind that rustled through the open window in the blonde's room. Then it slowly dawned on him that...

_Naruto is mine._

A slow smile worked its way onto Sasuke's lips as he thought of how well the whole situation had turned out, considering the disastrous beginning it had started with...but it had ended with Naruto accepting the fact that Sasuke loved him. Sasuke didn't know if Naruto returned the feeling quite yet, and he smirked as he thought of ways to make the blonde come to that conclusion.

Glancing at the analog clock he kept by the front door, Sasuke saw that it was only about three in the afternoon...so he may as well go visit Sakura in the hospital and see if she had awoken yet. Naruto would be happy to hear if she had. Going to the back door and retrieving his sandals, Sasuke scanned the backyard for any sign of Kya and found her by the koi pond, eyes tracing the black and white fish hungrily while Sasuke approached her.

The russet wolf's head rose at the sound of the Uchiha's footsteps, and he knelt down next to her heavy torso and scratched at her left ear. "I need you to watch Naruto for me," he murmured to the wolf, and she seemed to nod once as Sasuke tried not to laugh at the fact that he was asking a wolf to watch over a nineteen year old boy. "Thank you," he murmured, and returned inside of the cooler, dimmer home for a brief moment before returning to the front porch, striding down the stairs and making his way to the hospital.

**Kyuubi**

The great russet demon growled as it paced within the confines of the large, red cage that Uzumaki Naruto kept strictly locked and closed no matter what kind of situation he was in. Well, locked and closed minus the huge gash in the front doors that had ripped four bars from the frame and allowed the Kyuubi no kitsune to exit the cage, or tear down more of it, as it pleased. Slightly annoyance rushed the fox's senses as he smelled lust and apprehension coming from his host, and he knew the Uchiha boy had made his move on the young Jinchūriki.

"Idiot mortals," the fox growled and swung his paw at the bars in front of him, satisfied with the harsh screech the sound of his claws striking metal made in the vast space he was in. As if he didn't have enough to deal with already; the damn brat was hell bent on making sure these bars were reinforced and now that the Uchiha was even _more_ involved with the situation, the Kyuubi was _not_ happy.

The demon knew better than to try and get out at this point; after all, let the humans have their fun...

It's all just a fantasy that will end soon anyways.

Growling deep in his throat, the Kyuubi continued to pace while water sloshed around the fur of his paws and weighing down his feet, adding to his annoyance and making him itch for blood and screams of terror even more. But the old fox had to give it to the boy. Naruto was much smarter than what his appearance- and attitude- suggested. The fact that he was still inside the child was proof of that.

But the demon had worked his way out on more than one occasion, and he certainly didn't plan on giving up now. A jagged grin split the Kyuubi's jaws as he thought of the Uchiha. The damn brat had used that Sharnigan on the great fox once before, a fact that made the demon want to burn everything down for the shame it brought upon himself, to be sealed again by a mere human...

A bark of laughter escaped the Kyuubi's throat as he thought of how to...pay the Uchiha back for what he had done to him. And it all started with his Jinchūriki...and making the boy suffer in every way imaginable. "Have your fun, brats," the Kyuubi hissed as he stopped pacing and laid down, placing his heavy orange head on his paws and watching as the Uchiha stepped out of Naruto's line of vision. "Love each other all you can...Because the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

* * *

I did it! I did it! SasuNaru FTW guys! You know, I'm actually not too good at writing fluff, so I think I did a pretty good job with this. Thanks a lot for reading, make sure you review because if you do I'll buy you a one way ticket to yaoi land :)


	28. Little Shop Of Horrors

Little shop of Horrors

**Obito**

Uchiha Obito was angry.

Not only had Minato found a way to ensure that he did not have to bring Uzumaki Naruto to himself and Madara, the raven's former sensei had even dared to try and kill him! Fortunately, he had been able to repress the Yondaime's emotions before the man had managed to shove a kunai into Obito's heart...but it was still an extremely close call.

Obito glanced over to where he had Minato standing against a wall, arms dangling by his sides and head bent as if he had fallen asleep standing up. His trademark white cloak with the orange flames on the bottom was covered in dirt and blood due to a small skirmish Obito had sent him to near the Fire Country border. Apparently some scouts had discovered the hidden Zetsus there, and were about to track them to Obito's and Madara's location.

Too bad the battle didn't even last ten minutes once Minato had arrived.

The dim room that Obito had chosen for a hideout was one he knew Uchiha Sasuke would recognize quite well; Kabuto's former lab. Tabletops full of detailed blueprints and notes were shoved against one wall while cages of wild animals were stacked next to Minato's frozen form, all sorts of disfigured and mutated beings scuffling about occasionally, but never making more noise than that.

Jars of vile looking green substances sat on shelves that reached all the way to the low ceiling, barely above Obito's head and low enough that the tips of his hair could brush the cool stone. In some of the containers, Byukagan's floated amongst bubbles, suspended in the substance and, as they floated they turned, giving Obito the impression the eyeballs were looking around the room.

It was creepy as hell.

The Uchiha looked to his right, where larger glass tubes extended from the floor to the ceiling which apparently had been used to house Kabuto's larger experiments...including those preformed on humans. Blood was splattered in handprint shaped forms on the walls of some of the containers, while others seemed to have teeth marks or even an imprint of a tail that had been slammed repeatedly against the metal framing.

Disgust rose in Obito's stomach as he saw the imprint of a face shattering through the glass, the lips of whatever poor soul open in what seemed to be a scream. "Kabuto...you really knew how to make the most innocent being into a disgusting monster," the raven muttered and returned to his pacing, his navy blue robes swishing on the ground in a rhythmic motion while his eyes scanned over the entrance to the room every so often, checking to see when Madara would come through.

It had been two weeks since the undead Uchiha head had embarked for Konoha, intent on retrieving the Kyuubi, and so far all the rumors that Obito had heard proved that the man had failed. But not before crippling the Kyuubi Jinchūriki, for which Obito could feel slightly grateful for. Because from what he had heard over the past three years, the nineteen year old boy had power to rival that of even Senju Hashirama...the only man capable of defeating Madara.

Not that Madara could be defeated now. His body was indestructible and he had an unlimited chakra supply.

Footsteps approached on the otherside of the large boulder Obito had erected in front of the entrance to the lab, and seconds after Obito had distinguished the noise it stopped, only to be replaced by the squealing sound of stone sliding on stone as the large rock moved to reveal Uchiha Madara pushing the object aside easily. Obito ceased his pacing and stood with his arms clasped behind his back while Madara entered and closed the entrance by moving the boulder back once more.

"I heard you didn't obtain the Kyuubi," the younger Uchiha called once Madara had turned to face him, purple Rinnegan eyes narrowing at the mention of his failure. "He was...more persistant than I originally thought," the raven muttered. Neither Uchiha decided to approach the other. Obito crossed his arms over his chest as the tense silence between the two relatives grew until he decided to continue the conversation. "For someone with your power, a nineteen year old child should have been easy to handle," he commented.

Anger flashed across Madara's features, and his chakra level grew drastically as black flames started to whip softly around his body, a thin whoosh of air accompanying the occurance. "The Kyuubi has gained more control over the boy's body than either of us anticipated," the man snapped and closed his eyes, seemingly to calm himself down and urge the beginnings of Susano'o to cease. Obito waited for his ancestor to continue once the man had opened his eyes.

"In the end, this situation is better for us," Madara said and adjusted the red armor that covered his torso and his shoulders. Obito narrowed his eyes. "That seems...unlikely," he muttered. "Now that Konoha knows we're after the Jinchūriki, we have lost the element of surprise. We can only proceed based on sheer strength alone." "Which I have plenty of," Madara replied easily. Obito tried not to roll his eyes. "They will be expecting us the next time we decide to go for the Kyuubi...or the Hachibi," he explained and tacked on the mention of the eight-tailed ox as an afterthought.

Madara nodded. "The Hachibi will be a challange...that we can certainly handle after capturing the Kyuubi," the raven muttered. "How," Obito demanded and felt his patience slipping. "That worthless Leaf village already knows we are after the boy! And you said it yourself, the boy has more power than we anticipated." "And where is he getting this power from," Madara prompted. Obito cocked his head to the side, not understanding.

Madara sighed and closed his eyes once his relative didn't answer. "The Kyuubi has slowly been eroding away at the seal over the course of the past three years," the Uchiha said in annoyance. "Meaning, the Jinchūriki does not have as much control over the beast. I saw firsthand the level of destruction the Kyuubi could do in such a short time of being released. The village was still recovering from a previous encounter with the fox...as well as the one that you set upon it.

"The fact that the Jinchūriki is slowly losing what little control he has over the Kyuubi means it will be easier for us to capture him in such a weakened state," he finished. Obito slowly nodded as he processed the information. "So...we wait for a time when he is completely defenseless," he summerized. "Yes," Madara agreed, and then glanced over at Minato. "The Yondaime Hokage was the one who preformed the seal originally on the Kyuubi...yes?" Obito nodded and grimaced at how things had spun so out of control that not. Naruto and the Yondaime standing in front of him were the byproducts of that failure.

"I have heard...that the Yondaime did not seal the whole of Kyuubi's chakra inside of the boy."

Obito's eyes snapped from watching his former mentor's frozen form to staring at Madara's carefully suspicious expression. "He...sealed away the Yin part of the Kyuubi's chakra with himself when he cast the Dead Demon seal," Obito replied carefully. He was walking on thin ice now, and both men knew it. Madara sighed. "If we had not resurrected the Fourth, I would have killed you right now, regardless of how important you are to my plan. But...he is here now, so we just need to gather the Kyuubi Jinchūriki and meld the chakra halves together."

Obito nodded, managing to hide the seething anger he felt at Madara's statement. He, too, could just as easily backstab the man if he so pleased, dammit! "So we wait for an opportunity for the Kyuubi to weaken the boy to the point of near death," he attempted to clarify. Madara nodded. "For now...let's entertain ourselves for a while..." Obito grinned once he knew what Madara was talking about.

"Shall we let the Zetsus announce their presence?"

**Sasuke**

A warm afternoon sun beat down on Sasuke's black-clad form as he weaved his way past crowds of chatting groups and bustling families, hearing snippets of conversation that mostly pertained to the reconstruction of the North Wall and the gates that guarded it. Small greetings of "Uchiha-san" were murmured as the Uchiha walked by, and he in turn nodded as a reply while keeping his eyes locked on the ground in front of him.

People surely noticed how "un Uchiha-like" he was acting, due to what had transpired earlier and Naruto's reaction to it all. Sasuke smiled slightly to himself as he thought of the blonde and, despite the raging beast inside of him that was surely influencing his emotions and perspective, the raven knew Naruto didn't mean any harm by anything he might have said or done earlier, and was willing to even give the Uchiha a chance. For now, that was all Sasuke could ask for.

Besides, Naruto would learn to love him back soon enough.

"Sasuke-kun?" A soft voice asked behind Sasuke, and if he had not been trained to listen for any and all noise he would have missed the question. When the raven turned, he saw Hyuuga Hinata standing a few feet behind him and wringing her hands in a nervous fashion. Sasuke tried to keep a frown from approaching his lips. While Hinata was part of his "circle of friends" as Sakura had called it, the Uchiha certainly did not enjoy her company...or mere presence.

The girl was way too quiet, way too refined to even be a part of the shinobi system, and that shyness grated on Sasuke's nerves for some reason that he really couldn't comprehend. And then there was that little crush she had on Naruto. A growl rose in Sasuke's throat subconsciously as Hinata approached, momentarily forgetting the fact that Naruto was currently with him, not with her. Hinata's pale lavender eyes met with Sasuke's hard onyx, and the raven could tell the smaller girl was slightly intimidated by his demeanor.

"Um...A-are you going to visit Sakura-kun?" Hinata asked while Sasuke went over the reasons he didn't like Hinata for. Sasuke blinked, and then nodded. "Do you m-mind if I j-join you? I-Ino was asking if w-we all should visit her...as a group, soon..." Sasuke considered Hinata's proposal, and knew that if he shot Hinata's offer down (even if it wasn't a romantic advance) Neji would be on him like white on rice. Sighing internally and grumbling, Sasuke nodded and turned while beckoning for Hinata to follow him.

The small Hyuuga followed on his right side with her hands clasped over her stomach and the light grey turtleneck with purple trimming that had replaced her heavy jacket from three years prior bunching around her fingers. "S-so...how are you, Sasuke-kun," Hinata inquired as the duo walked in a very uncomfortable silence side-by-side. "I've...seen better days," the Uchiha replied honestly. "And you?" Hinata swallowed nervously. "Um...I've b-been good...just...worried about Naruto-kun and Sakura-kun..." Sasuke's eyebrow twitched, and he knew that in the future (or present) he was going to be a very overprotective spouse over Naruto.

"Sakura will be fine," Sasuke muttered...but even as he was trying to convince Hinata of that fact, he too was trying to assure himself that his pink-haired teammate was well. "I hope so..." Hinata murmured. More silence befell the two as they navigated the streets until..."And...Naruto-kun? T-Tsunade-sama refuses to t-tell anyone of his c-c-condition..." Sasuke shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "B-but...I thought you and K-Kakashi-sensei were...visiting him..."

Sasuke shrugged again.

"He's as fine as he can be...for Naruto," he explained, proud of the level tone his voice held. "I see..." More silence decsended. Sasuke could almost swear he felt the temperature drop at the amount of tension he was trying to not direct at Hinata, but since he knew once he felt something he couldn't stop it...Hinata was sure to feel his wrath in some way.

And this most certainly was not because Sasuke was jealous. Why should he be? Just because Hinata was, admittedly, beautiful and would someday make a good wife and even help bear children, Sasuke had Naruto...and she didn't. Plus, Sasuke nor Naruto could have children, that was something most every human being would understand...unless you were Kiba. Or at some points, Naruto.

Hinata seemed to notice the fact that Sasuke was clenching his fists deep in his pockets while they walked, for she coughed quietly to get his attention. "Are you...alright, Sasuke-kun?" She queried. "Hm..? Yeah, I'm...just worried about Sakura," he replied absentmindedly, still thinking about Naruto. He certainly wasn't lying in that statement; Sakura's comatose state had him on edge for the past two weeks...he had needed her advice so many times he had lost count...

Plus, just the mere notion of a world without the physically abusive yet caring rosette kunochi scared Sasuke. Just because he hadn't loved her the way she had originally wanted didn't mean he didn't love her as a friend and as a teammate...

Hinata seemed to look at him with sympathy in her pale eyes, as Sasuke could just barely see her out of the corner of his vision, and it irritated him. He didn't need pity. What he needed was for this whole mess to be over with so his life could finally go on, unhindered by revenge or the need to avenge someone. Or killing off already dead clan members. The Hyuuga by Sasuke's side didn't attempt to make conversation after her last question, something for which the raven was grateful for since he had no pressing urge to speak, lost in his inner most thoughts and worries until they reached the double glass doors of the hospital.

Stepping forward, the Uchiha opened the door and stepped inside, pressing his fingers against the glass so Hinata could enter (without being the "gentleman" most women claimed Sasuke was) and continued his stride towards the front desk. The secretary looked up from reading a book once she heard his footsteps approaching. "Uchiha-san," she greeted warmly as she put a bookmark between the pages. "And Hinata-sama. How may I help you?" Hinata looked at Sasuke, who continued to stare at the woman behind the desk.

"Just visiting," he replied. "Haruno Sakura," he clarified when the secretary arched an eyebrow. "Ah...yes. One second..." She typed on the keyboard in front of her for a few seconds, and then held out a slip of paper to the raven. "Take this with you so the doctors know you're here," she explained, and then pressed a small red button which in turn activated the doors set by the secretary counter, two loud clicks sounding as the metal barriers slid inward on their own.

Sasuke nodded, and Hinata murmured a soft "Thank you" while they passed through the doors and entered the first wing of the hospital. "Do you know where Sakura's room would be?" The raven asked back to the secretary once he realized he had no clue where to go. "Room 108, third floor," the woman replied as the doors slid shut. "There's an e-elevator up ahead," Hinata informed as they walked down the pristine white hallway that made Sasuke sick. "Hn," he grunted, feeling indifferent to the suggestion.

Their footsteps echoed amongst the various murmured voices, clanks, and the telltale heart monitor monotone drones while they passed by rooms with open and closed doors, doctors pushing patients on hospital beds, some covered with white sheets head to toe, which disturbed Sasuke. Because he didn't know if Sakura was under one of those covers. Once the two had reached the elevator, Hinata hesitantly stepped forward and pushed the "up" button and then retreated back to Sasuke's side, her right hand clenching the collar of her shirt lightly and her left dangling by her side.

With a soft "ding" the elevator opened, and Sasuke allowed Hinata to enter first before stepping inside as well and pushing the button labeled with a white number three, the metal doors sliding shut and enclosing the two on a soft, beige colored space with white lighting. _What is with this place and the color white, _Sasuke grumbled in his head while his eyes watched the neon green numbers above the doors tick up from one, to two, to three. With another ding, the doors slid open and Hinata stepped out, again followed by Sasuke.

The Hyuuga's pale eyes read the directory on the opposite wall, and then she turned to the left. "Rooms Ninty-Five through One-hundred Fifteen are this way," she informed quietly. Sasuke nodded and followed her as she continued to walk forward, his eyes flicking to the doors on either side of him, left side numbered evenly, and right side held the odd numbers.

"One o' five...One o' six..." Hinata murmured under her breath until they stood in front of the oak door labeled "108", and under the number was a nametag that read "Haruno Sakura" along with medical terms Sasuke didn't dare to understand. Hinata glanced over her shoulder at the Uchiha. Then she stepped aside while he went to put his hand on the doorknob, taking a deep breath and turning the handle, pushing the door inward. The first sound that greeted his ears was the sound of water striking water, then as he stepped further into the room he was met with the all too familiar sound of a heart monitor.

Leaving the door open for Hinata to enter, Sasuke saw the foot of Sakura's bed as he entered, white sheets covering her slim frame but, thankfully, not covering her face. Tubes ran into each of her nostrils and draped over her left arm, where more wires and tubes were connected to the joint between her forearm and bicep, all of which ran to various machines and IV drips by the bedside table that was standard of all hospital rooms. A chair with a stack of magazines set by the front legs was facing Sakura's unmoving form.

Taking another deep breath, Sasuke forced himself to calm down while he approached the rosette and decided to take a seat in the chair while Hinata went to stand on the other side of the bed. "...Should we...talk to her?" Hinata whispered. Sasuke snorted. "Feel free to, but I certainly don't plan on it," he said dryly, and saw Hinata blush and wince. "Um...okay...h-hello, Sakura-kun...I, we all hope you'll wake up soon..."

The Hyuuga's lavender eyes connected briefly with Sasuke's before returning to Sakura's face. "I know that S-Sasuke-kun is worried about y-you..Naruto-kun too...b-but you'll be fine, I hope," she whispered and smiled briefly, as if remembering something. "Ino-kun made your favorite meal for lunch today, and Choji-kun said i-it was very good, and when you wake up h-he'll make you some..."

Sasuke felt his heart clench while he listened to Hinata and watched Sakura. The rosette was missing out on so much, all because Sasuke couldn't protect her...although, he had been half-dead at the time, but still, there were no excuses in the life of a shinobi. Hinats continued to speak, but Sasuke tuned her out while he looked at his teammate, noticing the decent sized red mark that stretched from the left side of the rosette's forehead and vanished under her hairline by her ear. Parts of the pink hair that was splayed behind her head were black from the fire Madara had sent her way.

As for her internal wounds, Sasuke could see the thick casts covering Sakura's leg and arms, and the bandages that were lightly imprinted on the sheets covering her torso, and Sasuke winced when he noticed a small amount of dried blood crusted at the corner of Sakura's slightly parted lips. "Sasuke-kun," Hinata said suddenly, and Sasuke snapped out of his daze to glare at her. "Yes?" He asked, and noticed she winced again at the coldness of his tone.

"I...I'm going to leave now. Um...thank you for coming with me," she said quietly. Sasuke nodded as she walked away. "Oh. Hinata," he called, and she turned to look at him. "Close the door on your way out, please," he requested, and she replied with a soft "Hai" as Sasuke turned his gaze back to Sakura. The soft click of the door told him Hinata had gone.

The raven took a deep breath. "...Hey, Sakura," he whispered, deciding to give talking a shot. "Uh...well...there's a lot you've missed..." Sasuke grimaced at how stupid that sounded even to himself. "Tsunade let Naruto out of that hell of a prison, and he's staying with me again...Ino had to break into my house to get him inside though," he managed a soft smile at that mention, "And...well...do you remember when you said I had feelings for Naruto...? Or, guessed, anyway. But I...ugh, there's no dancing around this is there." Sasuke closed his eyes.

"I kissed him, and at first I felt so sick and so..._wrong_ because he completely rejected me...and now I don't know what happened, but we're sort of..." He broke off. "..._Together_," the raven managed to whisper. "And I don't know what I'm supposed to do from here. And damn Sakura, I wish you were awake to tell me where to go from here. Naruto...needs you. Hell, I need you. We both need you Sakura..." _We need you more than we ever thought we would._

Sasuke didn't even realize he had been crying until a warm tear trickled down his cheek. He chuckled softly and wiped it away. "I don't know if Kakashi has been visiting you, but he won't stop talking about how Konoha seems quieter without you screaming at me or him...I guess it's his way with dealing with this though." His onyx eyes drifted to Sakura's closed ones, and disappointment filled him when he saw that Sakura was comatose as ever; it was like he expected his voice and words alone would bring his teammate back...

...But they didn't.

Glancing at the clock over the doorway, Sasuke saw that it was almost six thirty in the evening, and he had to go make dinner for himself and for Naruto. Standing and stretching his stiff legs, Sasuke again looked down at Sakura and felt remorse for the first time since the knowledge of her plight had reached him. "...Sleep well," he whispered, then turned to exit the room without looking back.

8-8-8-8-8-8-8

Sunlight filtered softly through the windows set in Sasuke's home as he entered, taking off his sandals and dodging a mass of fur and muscle that was hurtling towards him once he had the good fortune to look up. "Good to see you too Kya," the raven muttered as he ruffled the fur on the back of the wolf's neck, to which the creature growled in response and butted her head against his leg before turning and trotting to the back door, where she vanished through the massive hole Sasuke had carved into it for her.

Sighing and running his fingers through his hair, Sasuke made his way to the kitchen and opened the fridge, finding a bowl of salad TenTen and Ino had made about four days ago and some wonton soup Shikamaru had gladly donated when Sasuke hadn't been able to buy groceries. The raven assumed the Jonin's mother had made it and he had wanted no part of it.

Taking each bowl out, Sasuke put the large container of soup in the microwave and set to putting the salad into smaller bowls, then chopping carrots absentmindedly on the counter while he waited for the soup to heat up. He clenched his teeth slightly as he tried not to think that, somehow, Sakura was in the hospital because of him. If only he hadn't gotten injured in the first place...he could have chased after Naruto and Madara.

But he knew the thought was pointless; no matter what he would have been injured trying to save Naruto. Sakura would have had to protect him, because it was her job...as a medic nin, and as a friend. Sasuke grimaced as he remembered Madara smashing into Sakura's side and sending her flying towards him as he knelt on the ground. Her green eyes dulling and closing. But then he also remembered Naruto dripping blood onto the earth, his eyes crimson red with hatred and a vicious snarl on his lips.

Before Sasuke could think about helping Sakura, he had to save Naruto from the Kyuubi first.

Pouring the carrot slices into the salad bowls, the Uchiha heard the microwave's soft humming end as the buzzer sounded, signaling the soup was done heating. Opening the black door and taking out the pot, he again poured the liquid into bowls and dug around in the cupboards under the sink for a different tray to carry the food to Naruto's room, since the other one he had left in the blonde's bedroom earlier.

Finding the maple wood tray, Sasuke arranged the food on the platform and once more carried it out of the kitchen and to the hallway, finding Kya waiting for him with something dangling from her mouth. Frowning and thinking the wolf had caught another rabbit that she wanted to show off, Sasuke bent down and set the tray on the floor so he could better examine the object. Shock hit him when he saw an oddly shaped kunai with three prongs and a seal attached to the handle.

_The Fourth's_, he thought in panic when he took the object from Kya's mouth and stared at it._ How is Naruto going to react to this_...Worry coursed through Sasuke at the thought of Naruto discovering his undead father, most likely coming after him on Obito's orders, unwillingly. Hopefully... His onyx eyes flicked up to stare at the opposite wall at the thought of the word "undead". "Either Kabuto preformed this," he murmured and already knew the theory was unlikely since the wannabe snake sage was currently lost inside himself due to Itachi, "Or...Obito learned how to preform this." There was no question. No-one else in the world knew how to preform the jutsu.

Except for Madara...Aka Obito.

"This doesn't add up though," he continued to talk to himself, whispering so Naruto couldn't hear him. "He already has an army at his disposal..." Shaking his head, Sasuke held the kunai back out to Kya, who whined but took it back into her mouth regardless. "Put that in my room," he ordered softly, his eyes watching the wolf as she turned and padded down the hall to his room and heard her softly impact on his mattress.

Standing slowly, Sasuke ran a hand through the back of his hair and narrowed his eyes at the thought of Naruto's father being used against Naruto...and Konoha, he tacked on as a quick afterthought. It seemed so fundamentally wrong that the man's son and former village might have to take him down. The raven sucked in a deep breath and gathered the tray of food back into his grasp and proceeded down the hall, checking into his bedroom briefly to see Kya laying on his bed with her head in her paws, her yellow eyes watching him as he walked by.

He didn't even bother knocking on Naruto's door this time; the blonde's chakra felt stable, and Kya would have been on him faster than Choji on an all-you-can-eat barbecue if something was amiss with the blonde that Sasuke could not identify. Once he had opened the door, he glanced to the left and found Naruto laying down completely, fast asleep with one arm flung over his eyes to block the light that flooded into the room from the opposite window.

The Uchiha smirked when Naruto mumbled in his sleep and sighed loudly. He entered the room and shut the door softly behind himself, putting the tray on the floor by the bedside table and going to the window to shut the window and draw the blinds over the glass, then turned around and walked back to Naruto's side. Reaching down, Sasuke touched Naruto's shoulder softly and shook. The blonde didn't respond, and Sasuke smiled brieflt before shaking harder.

Naruto's blue eyes snapped open in panic then, and he quickly sat up while slapping Sasuke's hand away, a kunai that Sasuke didn't want to know the origins of in the Jinchūriki's palm. "Naruto..." Sasuke said warily as Naruto breathed heavily through his nose and glared at him. "It's me. Calm down." Naruto blinked, then sighed and put the kunai by his pillow while visibly relaxing his shoulders. "Sorry," the blonde sighed and scratched at his head while smiling sheepishly. "I'm used to being ambushed in my sleep, so I'm generally a light sleeper."

Sasuke closed his eyes and shook his head. "You're in my house, in my guest bed. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so before you stepped foot into my hallway," the raven said sarcastically. Naruto snorted. "You know you love me," the blonde replied, and Sasuke swept forward quickly, leaning over the blonde suddenly. He brushed his lips softly against Naruto's and then leaned back, staring into his eyes, smirking. "I suppose you're right," he whispered and watched Naruto blush.

"...Is that food?" The blonde asked awkwardly. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but nodded and went to retrieve the tray and set it up over Naruto's lap. "Do I need to feed you again, or can you do it yourself?" Sasuke asked, secretly hoping Naruto would need help. The blonde seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding slowly. "I can try to eat by myself," he said, and Sasuke successfully kept the disappointment he felt from arising to his expression.

Instead, he simply nodded and started to eat his salad slowly, watching Naruto shakily raise his right arm and hesitantly wrapped his fingers around the spoon that was dipped in his soup, drawing some of the liquid out of the bowl and bringing it to his lips. Sasuke didn't miss the shudder that ran through Naruto's body, nor the pained expression on his face, as his elbow bent to bring to utensil to his lips. However, the raven decided not to say anything until Naruto decided it was too much, since the blonde would be beyond mad if he knew Sasuke noticed his moment of weakness before he himself did.

Chewing on a piece of lettuce, Sasuke stared at the dresser facing him from the opposite wall and studied the various pieces of pottery set on the surface as he reached for his soup bowl. His eyes snapped to Naruto's form when he heard the blonde inhale sharply. At first, the Uchiha didn't notice anything wrong until he saw Naruto's strained expression, and then his eyes trailed to the Jinchūriki's arm. The burnt skin was flaking away in some areas, but right above the blonde's elbow was a patch of flaking skin that appeared to be extremely painful, revealing some of the blonde's charred muscle and blood vessels underneath.

Sighing, Sasuke leaned forward and took the spoon from Naruto's hand. "That's enough for now," he murmured, not bothered at all by the angry look in Naruto's eyes. "I can handle it-" "Don't lie to me, dobe. I saw you flinch." Naruto scowled and looked away. Sasuke sighed. "If you need help, ask," he said and put the blonde's spoon back into his still almost full bowl. "I don't need help!" Naruto demanded. "I've been injured worse than this before and I managed to take care of myself just fine!" "Because you had to," Sasuke retorted.

"Now you have people who can help you. So let us. Let _me_, Naruto." The blonde narrowed his eyes. "I'm not some damsel in distress that runs to you- or anyone- everytime I get hurt," he muttered. "I understand that," Sasuke said, and tried to tilt Naruto's head so the blonde was looking at him by cupping Naruto's chin in his palm. "What I'm trying to say is it's okay to lean on other's for help. It took me a while, but I understand that now..." He murmured. Naruto clenched his jaw.

"Are you still hungry?" The Uchiha asked once Naruto had stayed silent. The blonde shook his head, and as Sasuke went to move the tray off of his bed and began to stand up, he shifted. "Wait." Sasuke looked over his shoulder and saw Naruto staring at his covered feet uncomfortably. "Just in case...if the Kyuubi, you know, tries to...get out.." Sasuke smirked widely. "Is this your attempt at asking me to sleep next to you?" He asked sarcastically. Naruto glared at his legs.

"No, I'm trying to make sure I don't burn down half the village in my sleep," he snapped, but Sasuke saw the light blush that dusted his cheeks. "Let me go change and get both of us cups of water for our medication, and I'll be right back," Sasuke replied and bent to retrieve his tray, a rare smile breaking through to his lips as he left the room and returned to the kitchen, filling two glasses with water and carrying then to his room. Stripping down to his boxers and folding his old clothes, Sasuke put them in his dirty clothes basket and pulled on a pair of blue sweatpants and a white shirt with a v-cut collar, before returning to Naruto's room with the water.

The blonde was still staring at his feet once Sasuke glanced at him, and then the raven bent down to take his container of medicine and searched through the list Ino had left for Naruto. "...Starting tomorrow, you're to take two of every pill a day," he read out loud, and Naruto groaned. "I told her I was fine," he complained. "Those burns on your arms say otherwise," Sasuke replied and took a purple container into his hands, pouring put two of the round capsules and putting both of them on his tongue, taking a quick sip of water and swallowing.

Opening a yellow container by the lamp, and turning the light on, the raven held out two pills in front of Naruto's mouth. The blonde rolled his eyes but opened his lips, and as Sasuke poured the medicine into his mouth, the Jinchūriki's tongue brushed against his index finger. Shock hit Sasuke at the pleasant feeling, and he felt himself longing for more while he helped Naruto take a sip of water.

"That's the only one you have to take at night," he noted while restraining the need that was gathering in his stomach and chest from reaching his voice. Then he sat down onto the bed by Naruto's torso and looked over at the blonde, who stared back at him with unguarded eyes. Relief and weariness shone forth from the cerulean orbs that Sasuke had fallen in love with as he swung his legs over the side of the mattress and gently pushed Naruto to the side slightly as the blonde laid back so he could have more room.

"...Um...good night, Sasuke," Naruto murmured, and Sasuke turned on his side to face Naruto. "Good night, Naruto," he replied, and quickly kissed Naruto's nose before turning to turn off the lamp.

Later on in the night, Sasuke would hold Naruto like a child would a teddy bear, and the raven immediately began to sleep better.

* * *

Hey guys!

So, there's a reason I haven't been updating for awhile...I'm in Europe right now. Paris, France to be exact...I'm on vacation with my family and I'll be getting home on Thursday of this week so I'll be updating again soon. I'm shocked that this chapter took me three days to write, because I've been going out every day for tours and stuff! I'm exhausted. But yeah, shout out to all the people who read my fanfics who live in Paris/France, _and_ in London/United Kingdom, 'cause I'm going there tomorrow! This has been a busy week...

But yep, expect some short stories until Thursday, oneshots and/or songfics. So yeah! See you all later :)


	29. Awake and Alive

Holy crap guys, this story is already twenty-eight chapters long. I'm, like, shocked. And sort of confused lol. I never meant for it to go on this long, I swear! ;-; I don't know if I should split this into a sequel like I did for Summer and Winter (which I am working on as you read this) or let this story continue for another like twenty chapters because we haven't even reached the half-way point to the climax yet!

So yeah, first off I'd like to thank you all for your support. Whether you leave a review or not it's nice that people read my work and I hope to one day create my own characters and "universes" that people enjoy as much as you all do. I've only been on this website since, what, December?, and I already love this. And...yup, sorry for getting all mushy, but man writing feels good. Especially writing about our favorite couple ;)

And now, to the future! I have some more one shot ideas and some more novel ideas that I'm just tossing around in my head at the moment. Most of them aren't AU, just because I can't think of any good AU scenarios that haven't been overused to the point that it makes me want to cry. But for now, I'm gonna stick with Crimson Eyes, Summer and Winter, as well as Blue Skies, Shattered Hopes, and Bleeding Out. Speaking of which, Bleeding Out only has one more chapter left! If you haven't read it yet, check it out if you don't mind. :)

That's it for now. I just wanted to lay my plans out on the table as well as thank you all for being such lovely readers! I couldn't ask for a better place to put my ideas onto. Man, this got really sappy real fast. I'm not the kinda person to do this normally, I swear! But yup, talk to you later ^_^

With love, Astridelta

* * *

Awake and Alive

**Kakashi**

Life never seemed to get enough enjoyment of kicking Kakashi while he was down, and he didn't think it would he satisfied until he rolled over dead from the stress of it all.

After learning that Sasuke had managed to get Naruto out of the maximum security cell, the Jonin had stormed into Tsunade's office, demanding she explain to him why she had given into Sasuke's request and not even so much as considered his own, instead simply replying "No" and returning her eyes to the paperwork in front of her.

This time, Tsunade had a bit more of an explanation to give to Kakashi.

"Sasuke reminds me...of who Orochimaru was before...he defected," Tsunade had said when Kakashi had stood in the corner of her office like a storm about to unleash its fury on the land for roughly a half hour, waiting for her to talk. "Except he cares more for the brat than I thought. You should have seen him, Kakashi. He was near tears while he begged for Naruto's release. When you see Uchiha like that, how can you not want to give in?"

Kakashi, being the stoic shinobi he was, hadn't even blinked as Tsunade delivered that little bit of information. But on the inside he had been shocked and pleasantly surprised all at once. Never would he have thought Sasuke capable of degrading himself to groveling in front of the Hokage herself if it meant getting Naruto out. Although, it shouldn't have had such a huge impact on him, he supposed.

It was pretty obvious how Sasuke felt about Naruto.

Currently, Kakashi was busy grocery shopping for food he hadn't even realized he needed, as well as watching closely for any sign that Might Guy would come storming into the building like a bat out of hell. The Jonin sighed as he picked up a can of chicken noodle soup and stared at it, thinking about how best to avoid his rival should the man show up while Kakashi was still out in public. After losing a battle (that he himself initiated), Guy had been bound and determined to defeat Kakashi in _something_, anything. He had even resorted to teaching himself Naruto's old Sexy-no-Jutsu and challenging Kakashi to see who could become the "sexier" girl.

Kakashi had automatically declined without a second thought in the matter.

It wasn't like he didn't enjoy beating Guy at every turn, in actuality Kakashi quite enjoyed the feeling of winning. But sometimes Guy got...a bit unreasonable. And for that reason, Kakashi was currently peeking his head around a shelf that contained cereal boxes to make sure Guy wasn't in the same vicinity as him. Letting out a sigh of relief, the Jonin turned and found himself face to face with a young girl, black hair flowing freely down her back, her torso clothed in a green turtleneck and her legs sheathed in black tights.

Kakashi sighed.

"You didn't hide your eyebrows Guy," he pointed out and indicated the humongous strips of hair that bushed over the woman's eyes. She immediately pouted and in a cloud of smoke reappeared as Might Guy, still wearing a depressed expression on his face. "I will best you one day, my eternal rival!" Guy yelled and sped off with his finger pointed up in the air while customers of all ages glanced at Kakashi curiously. He rolled his eye(s) and returned to shopping, knowing he hadn't even accepted Guy's Sexy-no-Jutsu challenge from earlier.

Although, Kakashi knew enough about the female anatomy. He could probably pull off the Sexy-no-Jutsu...

The thought continued to haunt Kakashi's mind as he bought his items and left the store.

As he carried three plastic bags down the crowded streets of Konoha, it occured to Kakashi that he hasn't seen Sasuke in over a week...probably because he was spending every waking moment he could spare with Naruto. A grin started to spread under the mask that the Jonin wore at all times as he thought that, perhaps, he should pop in on his two former, but still favorite, students. Peering inside of his bag, Kakashi saw a carton of eggs that had originally been meant for baking a pie and making scrambled eggs...but a more devious purpose for them came to Kakashi's mind while he continued to grin.

He stopped only once at his own home to drop off his groceries and took nothing but wire and the carton of eggs with him, and then proceeded to storm out of his house with his tools of destruction in hand. He could already see Sasuke's furious face in his mind, and Kakashi knew from three years of irritating the young Uchiha that nothing pissed off the boy more than a mess. And that was exactly what Kakashi intended to create. The wolf quickly spotted the small alleyway that was the path to the Uchiha household and had to hold back a shiver of anticipation as he approached the Chinese-styled home.

The first thing the Jonin made sure of was that he could just get onto the porch without being noticed. Sasuke had the hearing of a bat, and with luck Kya would not be home at the time of Kakashi's arrival since her senses were easily three times that of Sasuke's. Thankfully, he was able to leap up the three-high staircase onto the porch, light as a feather while he tip-toed over to the circular window on his left to peer inside of the hallway that stretched away from the maple door on his right. No lights were on inside of the home and all of the doors were closed, save for the doorway to the den, which had no door to begin with.

Kakashi grinned again as he made his way to the door and tested the handle, knowing it would be locked but nonetheless wanting to be sure, then pulled out a small nail and began to pick the lock. He winced slightly as metal scraped on metal quietly while he worked at unlocking the door, and then nearly froze in fear as the door began to swing inwards with small groaning and squeaking noises. _Sasuke should really get these hinges oiled, _the Jonin thought as he stepped into the shadowed home and, once he was fully inside, slowly shut the door behind himself, but left it open by just a slight margin so he could make a quick escape if need be.

The wolf knew what he was doing was almost childish; hell, he hadn't woken up this morning and thought "Hey! I'm going to prank Sasuke today!" and thrown his sheets off his body with disturbingly high vigor. But the opportunity to mess with Sasuke's head was just too good to pass up. Kakashi quickly scanned the house for chakra signatures and grinned again as he sensed Naruto's and Sasuke's in the same room- hell, occupying the same space!- in the door three down on his left. Taking the wire out of his vest pocket, the Jonin slowly began to unravel it from the cylinder container it was wound around and paused in front of the door.

Tying a strand securely around the door handle, Kakashi then proceeded to walk up the wall and, using more wire, attached the carton of eggs just above the doorframe and opened the lid slightly so that the force of the eggs decending would be enough to open the carton fully. He then connected the two strands together and returned to the floor, stepping back in the hall to admire his handiwork. Sasuke was going to kill him, Kakashi could almost guarantee that. But at least he'd die a somewhat happy death knowing he'd made his student's life a living hell for a few hours.

Deciding that he would like to see Sasuke's, and possibly Naruto's, reaction in person, Kakashi quietly made his way to the kitchen and began opening cupboards randomly, looking for a decent sized pot and a serving ladle. Finding one that was apparently used for straining spaghetti, and then a wooden spoon used to stir, Kakashi, as hard as he could, beat the utensil against the container.

There was a distinct thump two rooms down a moment later, followed by frantic footsteps and a muffled yell of "What the fucking shit?!" and Kakashi heard the door open...the noise soon followed by the telltale splatter of egg yolk on wood and on flesh. The Jonin poked his head into the hallway and saw that, indeed, Sasuke stood in a tanktop and sweatpants with his face pulled into an angry scowl, turning back in the doorway. "What the hell Naruto?!" The raven yelled, and Kakashi heard shuffling in the room Sasuke was looking into.

"Oi! That wasn't me!" He heard Naruto's voice protest. "So you're saying someone just came into my house and booby-trapped this very door with _eggs_?!" "Yeah, I am! You know I was in bed all night, you woke me up twice to make me stop snoring!" "How the hell would someone get in here?!" Sasuke yelled again, and Kakashi decided to use that moment as his standing ovation. Stepping into the hallway fully, the wolf held his fist lightly in front of his mouth and coughed. Sasuke's head whipped to his right to stare at his former sensei, and Kakashi could have sworn his face went from white, to blue, to red, in an astonishing fifteen seconds flat.

"What the fuck are you _doing_ here?!" Sasuke nearly screamed, and Kakashi bowed. "Just providing myself with a little live entertainment," the Jonin replied, and nearly lost all composure as a slick bit of egg yolk dripped between Sasuke's bangs and onto his nose. The raven's hair was riddled with bits of white egg shells and the yellows of yolk, even more covering the wooden floor at his bare feet. Kakashi desperately wanted to laugh. "You have something in your hair by the way," he pointed out and gestured to Sasuke's head.

"This is breaking and entering!" Sasuke roared and tried to shake the egg off of his head. "Ne...I like to think of it as 'An unexpected visit," Kakashi replied and winked, satisfied with his handywork. "I must say Sasuke, you get quite red in the face when you're angry...I'm surprised you haven't started to cook those eggs yet." Sasuke's face somehow became even more of a vicious crimson color, and Kakashi could have sworn he saw the Uchiha activate his Sharnigan for a split second.

Strolling forward and confident Sasuke wouldn't physically harm him (well, mostly confident. This _was_ Sasuke he was dealing with), Kakashi stood next to the fuming raven and poked his head into the bedroom, seeing Naruto sitting up in the bed with his chest covered in bandages, attempting to keep a smile off of his lips. "Good morning Naruto!" Kakashi said cheerfully and closed his eyes, grinning under his mask. "'Mornin Kakashi...sensei," Naruto replied just as happily. "I hope you slept well?" The wolf asked. "Yep! Just peachy!" Naruto said and chuckled.

"Although I guess this morning got off to a rough start..." Kakashi heard Sasuke snort off to his left. "I'm surprised you got a wink of sleep last night, actually," the Jonin said cheekily. "Especially since I lent Sasuke my 'Come Come Paradise' novels about two weeks ago..." "_Get out!_" Sasuke screeched and grabbed Kakashi's vest, dragging the Jonin from the doorway. "It was nice seeing you Naruto!" Kakashi called as Sasuke stormed his way to the front door and slammed it open, shoving Kakashi outside.

"I'll be dropping by soon to pick those up, by the way," the wolf reminded as Sasuke glowered at him, more egg yolk dripping from his hair and to the floor while he slammed the door. Kakashi sighed contently and turned, shoving his gloved hands in his pockets. Maybe he would take Guy up on that challenge after all; he was in a good enough mood now to try.

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

**Sasuke**

Sasuke was furious. How dare Kakashi intrude on what was supposed to be a pleasant morning waking up with Naruto and turn it into this...this...shitstorm! He stood in front of the doorway, breathing heavily through his nose and glaring at the wood in front of him, just daring Kakashi to come back so he could rip that stupid mask from the Jonin's face so he could see the full shocked expression on the man's features as he punched the wolf straight in the mouth.

More eggyolk dripping into Sasuke's face reminded him of the mess he would have to clean up, and he groaned quietly while turning to go back to the bedroom Naruto was in and thoroughly purge the floor of any trace off egg. However, as soon as he stepped inside and made eye contact with a still sitting Naruto, the blonde's mouth twitched. Sasuke glared as Naruto began to howl in laughter, pointing at Sasuke repeatedly and gasping harshly. "You look so...ridiculous," the Jinchūriki wheezed and rubbed at his eyes, which seemed to be tearing up from how hard he was laughing.

"You should...see your face," the blonde continued as Sasuke narrowed his eyes even more at Naruto. "I'm going to take a shower," Sasuke growled and turned from the bed while Naruto began to sit up. "Don't fall," the blonde commented as Sasuke tripped over his feet in the slippery doorway. Casting one more glare over his shoulder, Sasuke left the door open so he could have Kya clean up the egg yolk and egg shells later and went to his own bedroom to pick out his clothes for the day, then made his way to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Sighing and trying not to feel disgusted as egg yolk slid in his hair as he moved, Sasuke removed his soiled clothing and tossed them in the hamper he had in the bathroom, then hung a fresh towel on the rack across from the shower. Opening the glass door into the shower, Sasuke noticed that the scar on his side was already fading and becoming a pale pink instead of the harsh purple and blue from the week before. At least it didn't hurt like a bitch to move anymore, for which Sasuke was glad.

But he also wasn't able to complete missions for at least another four months. That made him annoyed, and anyone who so much as knows the name "Uchiha Sasuke" knows that the boy is not fun to be around when he's annoyed. He's generally not fun to be around in any case, it just so happens that when he is annoyed he tends to he a lot worse. Then again, it was four months with Naruto (who wasn't in much better shape mind you), uninterrupted. Unless Kakashi decided to pull something stupid like he did earlier. Sasuke exhaled heavily and started to rub shampoo into his scalp, grimacing at the slimy texture of his hair as he did so.

Listening closely, the raven heard shuffling on the other side of the wall, where Naruto's bedroom was, wondering what Naruto was thinking. The blonde wasn't supposed to be getting out of bed for at least a few weeks. Smiling softly, Sasuke washed the shampoo out of his hair and turned to grab his conditioner. "...Dobe."

The next time Sasuke stepped out of his bathroom, his hair and skin were clean of any egg yolk, his torso covered in a black long-sleeve turtleneck and his legs inside of black shinobi pants, rubbing at his hair with a white towel. Noticing movement off to his left, Sasuke glanced over to see Kya in mid-lick on the floor, busy eating the remains of Kakashi's assault on him and staring at him curiously. Nodding at her, Sasuke went into his bedroom and put his towel away, then returned to Naruto's bedroom.

"I have to go out," Sasuke told the blonde that was reading the same book he had been the other day, blue eyes flicking up briefly to meet Sasuke's gaze. "...Okay," Naruto replied as Sasuke approached. The raven raised an eyebrow as Naruto stayed silent. "Are you hungry?" The Uchiha asked, and Naruto shook his head. "I guess Kya knows how to get into your pantry," the Jinchūriki said and smirked. "I didn't know you still like tomatoes, because that's all that she brought me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and bent down, placing a kiss on Naruto's forehead. "I'll be back soon," he said against Naruto's skin and stood straight, turning and leaving the room while shutting the door behind him.

**Naruto**

Naruto watched Sasuke's retreating back with wary eyes, his forehead tingling from the kiss Sasuke had put there, and slowly put his book down. The sounds of Kya shuffling about in front of the door and his own breathing were the only noises the blonde could hear after the front door had opened and shut, and only after that point did Naruto let his mask crumble into the expression of worry and angst he had been trying to hide earlier.

Because he knew that the Kyuubi wasn't going to let Naruto have the happy ending Sasuke envisioned for both of them...

_Flashback_

_After Sasuke had stormed out of the room to take his shower, Naruto still sat chuckling on the mattress and shook his head lightly at the mess Kakashi had created. It was a clever prank; short, sweet, and to the point. Exactly the sort of stuff Naruto approved of when he was younger and enjoyed pulling those pranks. Of course, he still did that when he was travelling abroad, but that was because he had to. Stealing got a little easier when the people chasing you were dangling by their feet from the ceilings or covered in glue and feathers, unable to see where Naruto had gone. _

_Finding the book he had been reading yesterday on the bedside table, Naruto just began to reach for it when a familiar ache resonated in his stomach, like a cold icicle being stabbed into his abdomen while he blinked, no longer seeing the pale cream walls and sunshine of Sasuke's guest room, but instead the highly vaulted cage of the Kyuubi, water pooling around Naruto's legs and dripping from rusting pipes on the walls. Two walls of red bars extended high above the blonde's head as he peered into the darkness of the cage in front of him, heavy breathing coming out in puffs of warm air in front of him._

_"...Uzumaki Naruto..."_

_Naruto stiffened as a deep voice said his name and began to chuckle. One slitted red eye blinked open to peer at Naruto, much as it had before when Naruto was in this place, like the Naruto wasn't worth the Kyuubi's full attention. Even if it was the demon fox that had summoned him here in the first place. The blonde shook his head to clear the fearful memories of gaping white jaws and fire rushing towards him over an expanse of water and narrowed his eyes._

_"What do you want now," the blonde demanded shortly, shivering in dread as the Kyuubi laughed again. "How has your life been since you came home...seeking refuge from me," the fox asked, and if Naruto didn't know any better, he would have assumed the demon was trying to make conversation. "Cut the bullshit," Naruto snapped. Another eye opened in front of Naruto and glared at the Jinchūriki. "What's the matter? Scared?" The Kyuubi taunted._

_"Why should I be scared of a furry thing locked inside of a cage," Naruto retorted, trying to not look at the decent sized gap in the cage, caused by missing bars. The Kyuubi snorted, and warm, rancid smelling air rushed over Naruto, making him want to gag. "You know very well that I can escape whenever I please," the Kyuubi growled. "Then why haven't you?" Naruto asked and smiled as no answer met him. _

_"...Your little fantasy won't last forever."_

_Naruto blinked at the statement. "...Huh?" He asked, letting his guard down for just a moment, and two rows of massive white teeth grinned down at the blonde as the Kyuubi took possession of his real body, starting to get off of the bed Naruto laid on. Gritting his teeth, Naruto used his chakra to push the Kyuubi's back into the fox's cage, forming a blue barrier in place of the barriers that had been missing for three years._

_The Kyuubi sighed. "You know very well what I mean," the demon snapped. "That Uchiha boy who loves you so, and all your precious friends...I will kill them all. And you will watch it all unfold." Naruto shook his head. "Not going to happen," he said in false cheerfulness, the light tone of his voice not reaching his eyes. "I will stop you. I've held you back for this long. I can't fail now." The Kyuubi laughed, and for a split second Naruto could see the full form of the fox behind those red bars, a massive being of orange fur and claws that could slice him to shreds in seconds._

_"We'll see about that," the fox boomed. Naruto looked away and shook his head again. "Is this all you called me here for? To intimidate me? 'Cause it's not working," the blonde retorted and smiled. "...You know what will happen, child. You know what I will do if you stay where you are. Whatever hopes you had for that old woman restoring the seal, they are fruitless. You will die, Uzumaki Naruto. And I will break free of you and your father's pathetic seal..."_

_The fox stared down at Naruto as the blonde glared at him. "Believe it," the demon mocked Naruto's old catchphrase, and then the blonde was vaulted back into the real world, breathing heavily and sweat pouring from his brow._

_End Flashback_

Breathing slowly, Naruto looked at the multicolored pill bottles Sasuke had brought in earlier, trying to calm his racing mind and pulse so he could think clearer. He couldn't leave Sasuke; not now. Naruto wouldn't try to hurt Sasuke like that...even if leaving later would probably make the pain worse. Plus, Naruto...wanted to stay. He wanted to think that by being with Sasuke, all of this would just fade away. He fully believed Sasuke when the raven said he loved him, and Naruto knew that...maybe...he could learn to love Sasuke in return.

It just depended on if Naruto would get the time to do that.

As Naruto stared out of the bedroom window, the blonde could tell that something was wrong with him. Something didn't sit right with him. It was like this was all a dream, that he would wake up and find himself in his old apartment, Sasuke would still be a nuke nin, and he wouldn't have killed those nin on top of the monument...but he knew that he was awake. The blonde just wasn't sure if he felt alive.


	30. Crimson Eyes Part I

'Sup everyone!

So here's a bit of news for ya'll...I've decided to make Crimson Eyes a two-parter. We are currently on chapter 29 as you read this, so I've decided to cut it off at chapter 30 and start a new book shortly after that. Don't worry, I won't put this story on the huge hiatus that Summer and Winter is on :) just an update! I don't wanna give you guys heart attacks by suddenly ending this without explanation :p so yeah! One more chapter and that'll be it for Part One!

Alright, I can't think of what else to say so...see you all later! -Astridelta

* * *

Crimson Eyes, Part I

**Tsunade**

Tsunade could barely hear the reports that were flooding her ears due to the sheer amount of voices trying to reach her over one another. The blonde sat at the large maple Hokage desk with her fingers laced together to support her chin as she stared at the sea of Jonins and ANBUs clamoring for her attention like pigeons for spare bread crumbs. Her hazel eyes flicked up to her assistant Shizune, who was watching the scene uncomfortably with TonTon held close to her chest, the pig seeming to be agitated at the level of noise surrounding them.

Eyebrow twitching, Tsunade returned her gaze back to the swarm in front of her and unclenched her fists, then slammed her right down onto the wood hard enough to dent the surface of her desk and send several papers fluttering into the air. Damn. She had already gone through eight tables this month alone...but the slight destruction was worth it, since all noise immediately ceased and every person in the crowded room turned their eyes to the blonde Hokage. Letting out a stress-filled sigh, Tsunade closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead briefly, then opened them again and pointed at a young, brunette Jonin.

"You," she barked out, "Tell me what's going on." The boy, who only looked to be fifteen or sixteen years of age (Tsunade was impressed that he was already a Jonin at such a young time in his life) stiffened, his eyes widening at the prospect of talking to the Hokage herself, directly. The blonde wanted to roll her eyes when he began his sentence stuttering. "H-hokage-sama," the boy began as the men and women around him stepped away so he could be heard better.

"This morning at around six o' clock...reports began to flood in regarding a...massive amount of Zetsus approaching Konoha either by travelling above ground or through a series of underground tunnels..."

Tsunade blinked quickly in surprise. "Damn," she muttered to herself and looked down at her paper-strewn desk. "I guess Madara and Obito know Naruto's here now.." A number of heads suddenly turned in the Sanin's direction at her mumbling. "Hokage-sama," a loud voice exclaimed, one she recgonized as Kiba's, "I thought we were gonna, you know, not talk about that!" Tsunade narrowed her eyes in the general direction that the voice carried from.

Meanwhile, soft murmurs were running throughout the crowd again as Shizune quickly glanced down at her mentor, who had her fists curled tight on her desk, looking like she was ready to burn the whole building down. "Anyone who was not briefed of the current situation regarding Uzumaki Naruto is to leave this room," Tsunade growled. Heads bowed and parting words of "Yes, Hokage-sama," rang out until the only people left in the room were the members of the "Rookie Nine".

"Lady Tsunade," Rock Lee blurted out as soon as the last shinobi had exited and closed the door, holding his hand up in the air like a student would in a classroom. His teammate, Hyuuga Neji, shot a quick glare from the boy's right and punched the boy's shoulder. "Lee, we are twenty years old," the brunette hissed and ignored Lee's pout. "Don't act like a child." Yamanaka Ino sighed from across the room. "Out with it Lee," the blonde muttered, and Lee glanced at her appreciatively before returning his attention to Tsunade.

"How are we to ensure Naruto-kun's safety?" the taijutsu user queried and relaxed his stiff shoulders, crossing one arm over his green Jonin vest to grip the upper part of his left arm. "I'm assuming the Zetsus _are_ coming for him, after all..." Tsunade sighed and reluctantly nodded her head. "Since Madara and Obito are allies, for now...Naruto and Killer B will be their prime targets," she explained and put her hands back under her chin.

"Has there been any word from the Raikage concerning Zetsu movement in their region?" She asked when the four Jonin and three ANBU (Neji, TenTen, Shikamaru) remained silent. "No, Tsunade-sama," Hinata replied instantly. Tsunade nodded. "Again, this is under the assumption they are coming for Naruto," Shikamaru began and stepped forward, donned in the typical pale ANBU vest and black shinobi turtleneck and pants. "Because Madara arrived himself two weeks ago, it's plausible that Naruto is signifigantly powerful enough that they feel the need to send an entire army after him, and him alone."

Neji nodded in agreement. "The Zetsu have not made a move like this in three years," the brunette added on. "Small skirmishes on country borders, yes. But direct assaults with such large numbers? The only time that happened was during the Forth Great Shinobi War, and only B was present for that." Tsunade cracked her knuckles. "Hinata, do we still have Zetsu bodies in the autopsy lab?" She asked of the Hyuuga heiress. The girl nodded. "I want you and your assistants to develop a poison that will corrupt the Zetsu, as well as an antidote for any poisons they themselves may carry."

Hinata nodded and turned to Ino. "I'll need your help," the heiress said softly. Ino smiled stiffly at her friend and nodded. "Neji, I want you to take a team of ANBU to the border and discern any possible number for the Zetsus we are up against," Tsunade then ordered of the ANBU captain, who nodded once and fastened his mask over his face, the white and red porcelain in the image of a wolf's face and muzzle.

"Shino, Kiba, and Lee. I want you three to go and start tracking the Zetsus movements if they are within a twenty mile radius of the village. Lee, if they are found in that perimeter, you are to use your taijutsu and capture as many as you can. With your speed, it should be simple."

The three boys nodded determinedly while Akamaru barked once in agreement. "TenTen, accompany Neji, and Choji, you go with the girls and try to develop a pill that can counteract any invasive poisons," Tsunade finalized. All of the Rookie Nine nodded as Tsunade stood and put her palms flat on her desk. "Remember, Naruto is to be protected at all costs," she said. "The village can be burned down if it must, Naruto is to remain alive...now all of you leave my office...except for you, Shikamaru."

Six heads and one dog nodded and left the room, leaving Shikamaru in the middle of the room. "Are you wondering why I did not give you an assignment?" Tsunade said and stood, nodding at Shizune as the woman stepped out of her way while she walked past to stare out of the window with her hands behind her back. "Not really, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru yawned out in reply, and Tsunade shook her head half-heartedly.

"I need you to research the Shiki Fuujin seal created by the Uzumaki Clan."

Shikamaru seemed to tense up, as when Tsunade looked over her shoulder his body was rigid, his hands clenched at his sides. "Naruto's seal?" He asked. "I thought Sakura had those documents." "She's in the hospital, isn't she," Tsunade retorted and felt a familiar twinge at the thought of her comatose student. "The documents are in the archives. Find anything concerning the possibility of the seal degrading, and the chance of restoring it if that is the case. From what Naruto has described...it seems the Kyuubi is managing to break free of the barriers somehow."

"...Yes...Hokage-sama," Shikamaru murmured. "Will that be all?" Tsunade nodded. "I'll start my research right now then." Then the wooden door shut softly and he was gone. Tsunade stared down at the expanse of Konoha unfolding before her, all the way to the front gates, and her eyes narrowed at the meer notion of the threat that would soon bear down on her village...and onto Naruto.

"Shizune, set a meeting with the Council as soon as possible," the Sannin ordered. "Of course," Shizune replied, her heels clicking against the rough wooden floor of the office before stopping. "Tsunade-sama?" The young girl asked suddenly. Tsunade turned to meet her student's worried gaze. "Yes?" The blonde replied warily and tiredly. She needed a drink, badly..."Are we to tell Naruto-kun about this?"

Tsunade's shoulders stiffened as she thought of the blonde, as well as the very overprotective Uchiha he was currently living with. Both of them would throw a fit if they knew an entire _army_ was coming after Naruto..."Not yet," the blonde murmured in reply. "Naruto needs to focus on regaining his strength. Not on the village." Shizune reluctantly nodded. "And what about Sasuke-kun? He is an ANBU in training..."

Tsunade sighed and went back to her desk, fingers itching for the drawer that held her secret stash of sake that she had recently replenished. "I'll have Shikamaru tell him at some point," she said tiredly and waved her hand towards the door. "The appointment, Shizune." Shizune nodded again and left the room, leaving the Hokage alone once more to the silence of her thoughts.

Tsunade knew that keeping this secret from Naruto was not going to end well. Keeping the blonde in one place had generally been difficult in the past, so making sure he wasn't aware of an army approaching him would be an even more daunting task..

**Sasuke**

_Three weeks later..._

"Naruto," Sasuke called from his place in the kitchen, "I'm going to visit Sakura." There was a thump in the hallway, and a mere five seconds later Naruto was standing in the doorway to the kitchen with his black and orange vest halfway covering his torso, hair tossled and spiked even more than usual, while his pants were unzipped. "Give me a second to get dressed, jerk," Naruto exclaimed and pulled up his pants all the way, zipping them while Sasuke unconsciously stared at the half-exposed expanse of the blonde's chest, licking his lips subtly.

It had only been a month since Sasuke and Naruto became "a couple", but the two rarely participated in any romantic activites. Now that the whole village was aware of Naruto's very abrupt return, the blonde had been able to enter the village without his disguise, much to Sasuke's pleasure. Naruto was still slightly...awkward around the group of friends he had so suddenly left behind however, and Sasuke could tell the blonde was uncomfortable with recounting his travels and various skirmishes, since most of his tale involved explaining the Kyuubi in some fashion.

The raven had started to hold Naruto's hand in public, since he had seen that the girls of the village (including Ino, TenTen, and most certainly Hinata) had begun to eye Naruto very suspiciously. And despite how observant the blonde was, for example...he was observant to how close someone stood to him or the very shade of green of Lee's training jumpsuit, he was just so _clueless_ to the girls' advances on him...at least until Sasuke started to show some semblance to being in a relationship with the Jinchūriki.

However, other than that and sharing a few kisses in the privacy of his home and holding Naruto (partially because the blonde needed help with very simple things and could collapse at the slightest brush of air), Sasuke wasn't sure if what he and Naruto had was a true...relationship. The blonde was very relucant to come into contact with Sasuke unless it was deemed necessary, even when Sasuke at least wanted to make out the blonde would pull away with that guilty smile of his (which was really starting to piss Sasuke off) and make some excuse about his lungs hurting, his back, or whatever and asking to go to bed.

Needless to say, Uchiha Sasuke was starting to become very sexually frustrated.

He kept having to constantly remind himself that Naruto was still injured, despite his accelerated recovery time, it was still going to take a few weeks for him to be in the proper condition to _train_ again, much less engage in other...pleasureable activites. But_, _Sasuke still wished Naruto could at least tell him what about their relationship was bothering him so much to the point that the Jinchūriki refused Sasuke's tongue in his own mouth...

Fingers snapping in front of the raven's eyes broke him from his state of daydreaming. Naruto stood in front of him with a slightly annoyed expression, eyebrows pulled into a low scowl while his shirt was now fully covering his chest (much to Sasuke's disappointment) and his hair pulled into a slight semblance of order. What shocked Sasuke slightly was the redness of Naruto's irises. "What is it," Sasuke sighed out when Naruto had noticed the raven was focused on him again. "You were mumbling about burning someone to the ground," the blonde said and smiled evilly. "You thought I was talking about you?" Sasuke asked and crossed his arms, scowling.

"At this rate we're going to be late because of you...so I might just consider that." Naruto pouted and rolled his eyes. "Any reason why your henge isn't up?" Sasuke asked while he stared at Naruto's slitted pupils. "It is up," Naruto retorted. "No...there's red in your eyes, not blue," Sasuke said and noticed Naruto had grown slightly paler, the scars on his cheek standing out in greater contrast than usual. "Heh...you must be seeing things," Naruto replied and quickly spun on his heel, exiting the room with Sasuke close on his tail. "Yeah, I'm seeing that your eyes aren't blue like they normally are," Sasuke retorted while Naruto nearly jogged to the front door to put on his didn't respond, but as Sasuke neared the blonde he heard him mutter something that slightly worried the raven.

"Damn fox is getting stronger..."

Sasuke's blood ran cold at that statement while he watched Naruto hurriedly shove his feet into the opened toe-ed sandals by the entrance to the home. "Naruto, is everything okay?" Sasuke asked slowly while Naruto stood straight and faced the door. "Yeah," Naruto replied hastily, a little too quickly in regards to how concerned Sasuke sounded-and felt- in his tone. "C'mon. We gotta visit Sakura yeah?" Sasuke nodded despite the fact that Naruto still had his back turned to the Uchiha.

"Kiba and Hinata invited us to go to dinner with them and Ino, along with Shikamaru..." Sasuke continued while he put his shoes on and ambled out of the house, locking it behind himself and stepping onto the porch with Naruto. Naruto snorted, but Sasuke noticed the blonde's stance was still stiff and he still refused to look at the raven directly. "So, like a triple date then?" Naruto asked while the two made their way down the road.

Sasuke nodded, peering out of the corner of his eye at the slightly smaller Jinchūriki. "Naruto, you can tell me if there's anything wrong," Sasuke commented. Naruto's head whipped to the right to glare at Sasuke, his eyes now their normal sky blue radiance...except for small dots of red that spiraled out from Naruto's pupils to the edges of his irises in rings, almost like the pattern of the rinnegan. The crimson was barely noticeable except for when Sasuke deliberately looked for any signs of the color in the blue irises.

"I'm _fine_," Naruto murmured while Sasuke reached down to take Naruto's right hand in his left, curling their fingers and drawing the blonde close to him. People that they passed by stared briefly at their joined hands, and at Naruto, before the glare Sasuke sent their way had them scuttling away quickly to avoid his anger. "Sure," Sasuke replied quietly and looked around the crowded road they were walking on.

"Let it go Sasuke. I can handle this," Naruto said and smiled at a group of children that had begun to follow them and squeal when they recognized the infamous Jinchūriki. Sasuke made no further comment, since he feared that by questioning the blonde more he would end up provoking the boy into more anger...perhaps causing another outburst of the Kyuubi. Something they both wanted to avoid...apparently for their own seperate reasons.

They made their way to the hospital in easy silence after that, Sasuke having to drag Naruto along at some points since the blonde was noticing things about Konoha that had changed since he had left, the Uchiha becoming gradually more frustrated until he was standing, shoulders stiff, in front of the hospital and pushing Naruto through the sliding doors with a glare on his face.

They proceeded into the hospital after checking in at the front desk, not even needing to hear where Sakura's room was; Sasuke had been here enough times to have the room number memorized...while Naruto had barely come here at all. The blonde was walking in front of Sasuke down the hall to the rosette's room, seemingly relaxed, but Sasuke could tell Naruto was upset for a few reasons...one of them being, Naruto felt like it was his fault that Sakura was in this state.

Sasuke kept trying to tell Naruto it wasn't his fault, that Madara had done this, but the blonde remained as stubborn as ever and refused to have any of it...

"Naruto," Sasuke called when the Jinchūriki began to walk too far down the hall. The blonde stopped and looked over his shoulder at the Uchiha, who was standing with his hand on the brass knob of Sakura's door. "Oh, yeah. I forgot," Naruto replied and ambled back with his arms crossed over his chest. "Just like you 'forgot' the last time we were here," Sasuke muttered under his breath and opened the door to enter the hospital room. As always, the only sound in the room was the soft whirring of the various machines strapped to Sakura's body and the whoosh of air coming from a fan in the corner of the room.

Walking in first, Sasuke smelled fresh roses set on the bedside table next to Sakura's still body, along with some pictures of the kunochi and Ino, Hinata, and various other members of the Rookie Nine...along with two pictures of Team Seven, the one that included Sasuke and the one with Sai. Naruto stepped in front of Sasuke and sped his way to the side of the bed, sitting in the one available chair in the room; the other was piled under blankets and bandages.

Sasuke noticed Naruto's eyes still had red flecks in them as he viewed the Jinchūriki in profile, now standing out in even greater contrast to the normal sky blue hue. A sense of foreboding crept into the raven's mind when he saw Naruto's fists clench down at his sides, as if he were trying to...restrain himself. The Jinchūriki was babbling on about something to Sakura, but Sasuke paid no attention to it while he watched the boy carefully, making sure what he was seeing was nothing more than a figment of his imagination...

8-8-8-8-8-8

The clatter of silverware and the soft murmurs of private conversations surrounded Sasuke. He was currently sitting in a barbecue restaurant of Kiba's choice, Naruto on his left and the infamous dog breath and Hinata on his right, Ino and Shikamaru across from the four on the other side of the low wooden table.

The Uchiha had his arm slung casually around Naruto's shoulders while the blonde ate and talked with Ino. "So...Naruto," Ino said and smiled at the blonde, who eyed her warily in return. Sasuke reached for a dumpling in the middle of the table and looked at Shikamaru, who seemed to be watching him with an intense stare, only to glance away towards Kiba while Sasuke returned the glare. "You sure you don't want to tell us about your...time away?" Ino asked of Naruto. Sasuke felt the Jinchūriki instantly stiffen under his arm, and turned to glare at Ino with his eyes narrowed.

The blonde noticed Sasuke's stare and shrunk back slightly into Shikamaru's side, the ANBU sighing and allowing his eyes to briefly notice Naruto's steely expression. "Let's not bring that up Ino," Shikamaru muttered while Kiba leaned around Sasuke's back to peer out Naruto with a full mouth of food. Ino nodded and her head fell to stare at her lap, hands folded across her legs. "Ah, Ino-kun, do you w-want to tell Shikamaru-kun about our mission last week?" Hinata murmured instantly while Sasuke tried to get Naruto to loosen up.

"Naruto," Sasuke whispered while Ino turned to her teammate and began to talk excitedly. The Jinchūriki glanced over at Sasuke, not turning to fully face the Uchiha. "Stop acting all depressed. It's not like you," the Uchiha continued and smirked when Naruto seemed to roll his eyes, however he did release the tension in his shoulders and Sasuke felt the blonde's back relax under his arm.

The meal progressed quietly after that, other than Kiba being splashed by a bowl of onion soup when he had made a gesture during a story leaving the brunette drenched and smelling of oil for the rest of the night. Dessert arrived shortly, and as Sasuke reached in for a bowl of strawberries, he noticed Shikamaru staring at him again. However, when he looked up at the Jonin this time, the boy did not look away. "Sasuke, can I see you outside for a moment," Shikamaru instead stated and stood from his seat, not waiting for a reply while the rest of the group stared at his retreating back curiously.

Sasuke stood as well and removed his arm from Naruto's shoulders, going to follow the other raven in annoyance while he shoved his hands in his pockets. Stepping through the open doorway into the brisk night air, the Uchiha turned to see Shikamaru leaning against the wall of the restaurant with a lit cigarette in his mouth, staring at the ground. "What do you want, Nara," Sasuke asked, feeling bored of the conversation already as Shikamaru glanced up at him with narrowed brown eyes.

"Hokage-sama has asked me to inform you of something," the Jonin began quietly. "And?" Sasuke questioned and moved to stand in front of the ANBU captain. "You must first give me your word that you will not tell anyone what I am about to say. Especially Naruto." Suspicion immediately came to the forefront of Sasuke's mind. "Why should I do that," Sasuke hissed. "In case you haven't noticed, Naruto is my partner-" Sasuke barely noticed how good it felt to say that, "-and I think he deserves to hear whatever it is you have to say."

The raven noticed Shikamaru appeared to be slightly panicked while he made to move back into the restaurant. "No, wait," Shikamaru exclaimed quietly and effectively making Sasuke pause in mid-stride. "Sasuke, it is crucial no-one informs Naruto about this until Hokage-sama gives to order to do so. I need you to give me your word on this." Shikamaru seemed to tilt his head back to the doorway of the restaurant. "If Naruto learns of what I'm going to tell you now, the Kyuubi might try to escape again. We both don't want that and I'm sure he doesn't either."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but went back to standing stiffly in front of his friend and crossed his arms. "Very well," he sighed, "This had better be important though." Shikamaru nodded and imitated Sasuke's stance, crossing his arms over his chest as well while taking his cigarette out his mouth and blowing out smoke. "Madara and Obito are coming back here," the Jonin then said. "Apparently, there are massive legions of Zetsu moving throughout the Fire Country towards Konoha...

"However, it's unclear if the same could be said for the Lightning Country. Tsunade-sama has contacted all of the Kage, and all of the villages are on a first level red alert in case the Zetsu attempt to invade any country."

Sasuke kept his expression blank as Shikamaru paused for breath. "Also, Tsunade-sama has tasked me with researching the construction of Naruto's seal-" "Why didn't you tell me _that_ first?" Sasuke snarled. "-And it would appear that since Naruto has been drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra for more power than the seal would allow, that the Fourth's chakra is fading away and allowing the seal to collapse inward on itself," Shikamaru finished as if Sasuke hadn't interrupted.

The raven sucked in a large breath and ran his hand through his hair. "And how does this affect Naruto then," he asked quietly. "Aside from the...physical differences, which Naruto can easily cover with a henge, and the Kyuubi being able to escape more often than usual...this also affects Naruto's mental well-being," Shikamaru murmured.

"You had stated when you first brought Naruto back to Konoha that he had been...enraged. Crazed, mental, insane, whatever you want to describe it as. It seems that the reason behind that is the Kyuubi's chakra, which is demonic in nature, is beginning or has already corrupted Naruto's chakra and mental health."

Sasuke blinked, feeling uncertain as to what that meant. "So you're saying he's becoming more like the Kyuubi?" He asked. Shikamaru shrugged. "Somewhat. It only happens when more chakra than usual, usual being dependent on how much has leaked in the past three years, enters Naruto's system." The Jonin placed his cigarette back onto his lower lip and inhaled. "Has Naruto been more violent lately?"

Sasuke closed his eyes. "Not that I know of," he murmured. "However...today, his normal henge wasn't covering all of the Kyuubi's influence on his appearance...he said something he didn't intend for me to hear as well. It would appear that the Kyuubi is getting stronger." Shikamaru nodded. "I suspected as much," he replied. "I'm still going to find ways to redraw and strengthen the seal, however so far the amount of chakra needed to fill the seal would easily have to be on a Jinchūriki's level...if not higher. And at the current state of war the world is in, it'd be unwise to have B and Naruto in the same place..."

The Uchiha in front of Shikamaru opened his eyes again and shifted his feet. _Shit...this is bad..._"What do you plan on doing about Naruto then," he demanded. "You better not lock him up again Nara, or I swear I will gut you and hang your skin on my wall." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Calm down Uchiha, I don't plan on doing that. For now, keep Naruto at your house. I'll have some ANBU stationed nearby incase anything happens. I really don't want Naruto out in the village unless it's necessary...that includes visiting Sakura."

"He isn't too keen on that anyways," Sasuke muttered in reply, "He blames himself for that state she's in. Which is stupid." "That's Naruto for you," Shikamaru sighed. "If possible I want you to have Kya try and tell when the Kyuubi is reaching a certain level of control over Naruto. Since the Kyuubi's chakra is animalistic as well as demonic, she should be able to sense it, yeah?" Sasuke nodded. "Easy enough," he said. "Although having her sniff around Naruto every five minutes will be...difficult."

Shikamaru snorted. "I'm not saying have her ride Naruto's ass twenty four seven," he replied. "Just whenever the Kyuubi's chakra spikes have her go find an ANBU, or an Inuzuka so they can actually understand her." Sighing, the Jonin turned back to the entrance to the restaurant. "Remember, Naruto is not to know about any of this," he warned. "Mmhmm," Sasuke murmured in reply and followed the ANBU captain back to their table and past various other crowds on the way.

When Sasuke sat back down across from Naruto and gave excuses as to why Shikamaru wanted to see him, he could have sworn he saw a flash of crimson pass entirely over Naruto's eyes as the blonde stared at him.

* * *

Hey guys, so today I recently learned that Cory Monteith, a famous actor who played the character "Finn Hudson" on Glee, passed away this weekend. And as a huge Glee fan I'm really saddened by this, so I just wanted to say that my heart goes out to the Glee cast, Cory's family and friends, and his girlfriend Lea Michele who plays the character of "Rachel Berry". It's only been like, less than twenty four hours since the news released and it seems stupid to do something like this now, I know. But I really respected (and still do respect) Cory as an actor, and as a person. He had the courage to admit, several times, that he had an addiction problem and was willing to go to rehab for it. So...

R.I.P Cory Monteith, you'll be missed by fans around the world. -Astridelta, 07/14/13

(Sorry for the sappy after note...lol)


	31. Crimson Eyes Part II

Just a warning for you all, there is a lemon in this chapter! I warn you before it happens so if you wanna skip it, feel free to scroll down until you see the (WARNING, LEMON ENDS HERE) in the middle of the page.

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Crimson Eyes, Part II

**Naruto**

_"Kill. Kill them all. It will be wonderful, you know...the bone snapping under your fingers, the blood flowing over your skin, all that...warmth..."_

Naruto refused to listen to the Kyuubi's beckoning and, admittedly tempting, words. His eyes to the outside world may have been carefully blank and shielded while he wordlessly continued to eat dinner with Sasuke and the others, but on the inside he was waging an all out war against his resident demon.

_"You know I won't listen to you," _Naruto replied smugly in his head while the crackling, shimmering blue of his chakra covered the gaps of the bars in the Kyuubi's crimson cage. To his dismay however, more bars were beginning to fade like old images on a photograph, becoming translucent as the Kyuubi's influence over Naruto's mind and body grew with each passing breath the blonde took. The great fox was chuckling inside of the dim cage, his red eyes peering down at Naruto with vague amusement. As if the blonde were some circus animal preforming tricks in front of him...

_"I don't need you to listen, brat. I just need you to be afraid," _the Kyuubi said and shifted so his two front paws, claws included, were visible in Naruto's line of sight. _"That's all I need to be free...fear..." _The Jinchūriki rolled his eyes, but winced as a bar on the left door of the cage wavered and paled even more. There were only three bars, including that one, left of the original twelve left on that side of the cage. _"I don't need to fear some oversized furball like you," _Naruto retorted.

Somewhere in the outside world, Naruto heard someone address him and grimaced as he had to pull away from the "conversation" he was having to make sure he appeared normal to the humans around him. Blinking and focusing in on the people, not massive demons trying to kill him, around him, the Jinchūriki noticed Sasuke looking at him while everyone else had vanished from the table. "...Eh, huh?" Naruto said and blinked again, turning to face the Uchiha.

"I said, everyone else has gone and you were just staring into space," Sasuke apparently repeated, then leaned closer to stare into Naruto's eyes. Naruto winced and diverted his gaze. "Come on, let's go then," the blonde said, probably a bit too harshly, as he stood and waited for Sasuke to do the same. The raven seemed to be concerned, and confused, while he stepped around his chair and went to take Naruto's hand in his own while they made their way to the front of the now much emptier restauraunt.

At least Sasuke leading the way gave Naruto the chance to return to the inner battle Naruto had been having with the Kyuubi...

Blinking again, Naruto found his mind almost divided between two planes; on one, he could see the real world and the crowded streets surrounding him and feel Sasuke's palm over his own, and on the other was nothing but the looming red cage and blue chakra covering it. _"I'm not giving you what you want," _Naruto snapped in his mind and heard the Kyuubi growl in annoyance. _"You think I'm just going to back down?!" _The fox roared and stood, water sloshing around Naruto's ankles like small waves while the demon slammed his paws against the cage doors.

_"I will get out brat and when I do, I will kill every last rotten human you have such precious 'bonds' with!" _

Naruto grimaced and crossed his arms. _"Not gonna happen!" _He shouted back. Enough with the games, if the Kyuubi wanted a fight then he was damn well going to get one! _"You do full well understand what tomorrow is child...correct,"_ The Kyuubi hissed. A flash of fear struck Naruto. Tomorrow was October Tenth...his nineteenth birthday. And the nineteenth anniversary of the Kyuubi's, and Uchiha Madara's, attack on Konoha...

_"No.." _Naruto whispered, both in the real world and inside of his mind. The damn fox was planning on escaping, _tomorrow_! As if to mock Naruto, the demon continued to laugh manically and wrapped two of his tails around the remaining bars of the cage, like a prisoner would at the door of his cell. _"Enjoy life while you can," _he sneered. _"Because it isn't going to end well for you..." _Then Naruto was suddenly pushed out of his own mind and the two planes shifted back to one, the only red that Naruto could see was that off paper lamps hanging off of the doorways to shops, homes, and restaurants and the red and white Uchiha fan on the back of Sasuke's shirt.

The two were almost back to Sasuke's house, having traversed the packed roads and alleyways back to the quiet home, with the sounds of conversation nothing more than soft murmurs in Naruto's ears. The blonde managed to keep his face smooth on the outside to anyone (particularly a certain Uchiha) who glanced at him, but on the inside he was _terrified_. He had known this day was going to come for _three years_, and yet what had he done?

He had come back to the one place he had hoped to save from his rampage and fallen in love with the one and only Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto's legs nearly stopped working and his blood ran cold at that thought. If he hadn't been so freaked out over the Kyuubi's plan for destruction, he would have laughed at himself for thinking such a ridiculous thought. However, a small part of him whispered to his mind, and heart, "If you didn't love him you never would have agreed to date him, now would you?"

The blonde grit his teeth when he realized that he was right. In fact, he had probably already loved Sasuke; who else chases down a guy for three years and can honestly say it wasn't because of affection, in any way? _I love Sasuke_, Naruto thought and felt a soft smile break onto his lips. Then as the two silently entered Sasuke's home, his grin turned into a frown. Tomorrow...

"Do you want to go to bed?" Sasuke asked softly in the darkness of his hallway while Naruto took off his sandals. His brain seemed to shut down when his eyes landed on Sasuke's form in front of him. It seemed as though a veil that had been covering Naruto's eyes had just been lifted; the curtain rising just before the play. The blonde's eyes trailed over Sasuke's chest, which was well emphasized by the skin tight, black turtleneck he wore, down to the raven's legs and back to the man's face.

Naruto couldn't stop himself from staring at Sasuke's eyes and mouth as his heart began to race. "Naruto?" Sasuke asked and stepped forward, putting his hand on the blonde's forehead and lifting the bangs that fell over Naruto's eyes. The blonde swallowed roughly and stared back at Sasuke's concerned gaze. What was it that he was feeling...? This warmness in his chest and his stomach, drifting lower and lower...

"Isn't my birthday tomorrow?" Naruto blurted out suddenly and felt his face heat up at the, admittedly stupid, comment. Sasuke's right eyebrow arched in confusion while his palm lay still on Naruto's head. "If tomorrow is October Tenth, then yes...idiot," Sasuke replied and offered the blonde a small smirk. "So, bed?"

Naruto blinked twice to clear the fog that seemed to block everything out of his vision except for Sasuke's face. "Uh..yeah, I guess..." The Uchiha turned and was about to walk down the hall when Naruto grabbed onto his wrist, stopping his movements. Embarassment flooded Naruto as he thought about what he was going to ask next, but he stood his ground regardless and watched as Sasuke looked over his shoulder at him.

"Uh...could we, you know, sleep in your bed tonight?" Naruto asked, quietly, which was so unlike him he could almost hear the surprised gasp that would have left Sasuke's lips if the raven was any less of a bastard. As it was, the raven's eyes widened slightly as Naruto shuffled around, trying to keep himself from having an emotional breakdown due to...well, everything that had happened that night.

Sasuke went into his bedroom and allowed Naruto to go to his and change into shorts and a black tee shirt, before the blonde quickly went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, uncertain of why but felt it was extremely important to do so before...whatever was going to happen next...spitting the toothpaste into the sink, Naruto looked up into the oval mirror over the white basin and stared at his reflection, feeling uneasy with how feral his eyes seemed. Sasuke was indeed correct before; small flecks of red were present around his pupils, which were slightly more slitted than a normal human's.

Naruto fought back the urge to punch the glass as hard as he could, and instead exited the bathroom and slowly walked across the hall towards Sasuke's room, pausing in front of the closed door while staring at the deep bronze handle as if he expected the door to open on its own accord. Then, once that strategy failed, Naruto decided he would have to just open the door and step inside himself, gazing around the dark expanse.

The walls were a warm teak color, with white paneling and sandy-yellow wooden planks on the floor. There was a brown, fuzzy looking rug on the floor at the foot of the queen-sized bed that occupied the majority of the room and had a black comforter with blue sheets and matching pillow casings covering the pillows on top of the mattress. Looking around, Naruto saw a dark wooden dresser on his left and a two doored closet made of the same material on the wall facing the bed, while a large window facing the blonde had bamboo-like blinds hanging over it, allowing small slivers of moonlight to pass into the room.

Sasuke was sitting on the far edge of the bed and seemingly reading something, a small table lamp turned on, on top of the bedside table that mirrored the one that was apparently on Naruto's half of the bed. The blonde moved further into the room and shut the door softly behind him, apparently alerting Sasuke of his presence, since the raven closed his book and put it back on the nightstand while twisting to look at Naruto over his shoulder.

The blonde stared back, unsure of why his heart was racing again, and plopped himself on top of the mattress and noticing with delight that the sheets were softer than silk. Sasuke offered Naruto a small smile and went to turn off his lamp, swinging his legs onto the bed and adjusting his pillows. Naruto swallowed as he saw that Sasuke wasn't wearing a shirt, his pale skin smooth and almost rippling with the muscles underneath.

"Good night, Naruto-"

"...Wait..."

Naruto cut Sasuke's sentence off and stared determinedly into the raven's onyx eyes. Sasuke looked back in confusion as Naruto leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on the Uchiha's lips. Both boys stared at each other, Naruto almost in shock with his actions while Sasuke seemed genuinely pleased, responding almost instantly to Naruto's touch and pushing back with greater force until they were both gasping for air every time their lips parted.

"Do you," Sasuke panted between kisses, "Really...want to...do...what I...think...this...is?"

Naruto hesitantly nodded and scowled when Sasuke pushed him into the mattress, straddling his hips. "I don't want to be the bottom though!" The blonde complained while Sasuke's face loomed over him. The Uchiha smirked. "Too bad," he replied haughtily and mashed his lips once more over Naruto's, pinning the blonde's wrists above his blonde spikes with one hand while his other spread over Naruto's chest, clenching ever so slightly...

(WARNING, LEMON STARTS HERE)

Naruto was about to try and flip Sasuke over when the Uchiha bit his lower lip, causing him to gasp and thus allowing Sasuke to thrust his tongue into his mouth. Naruto groaned while Sasuke trailed his tongue over his teeth, around his own organ, and mapped out the entirety of his mouth before sucking on Naruto's tongue lightly, drawing it into his own mouth without even parting their lips once.

Naruto, in return, eagerly poked around Sasuke's cavern and when the raven slid his own tongue against Naruto's, the two began to battle for who got dominance over the other. It may have started off as soft and sweet, but this kiss was now a raging war between two long time rivals and recent lovers for as to who got to be the alpha here, and now. Naruto, still trying to wrap his tongue around Sasuke's, attempted to flip the Uchiha and only succeeded in allowing Sasuke's hips to dip lower into Naruto's thigh.

Naruto could feel Sasuke's hardness rubbing against his leg as the raven began to grind downward onto Naruto, the Uchiha's own leg pressed against Naruto's rising erection and the blonde gasped into their kiss, feeling a warm shock run straight from his chest down to his member and in response, he got even harder. Never in a million years would Naruto have ever thought that making out with _Uchiha Sasuke_, and potentially having _sex_ with him, felt so fucking good!

Sasuke parted their lips, each gasping for air, before instantly bringing his mouth down on the blonde's neck and sucking on the tan skin there. Naruto sighed and jolted when Sasuke's teeth bit into a sensitive part of his flesh before gently passing his tongue over the bite mark. A low grunt vibrated from Sasuke's mouth and onto, no..._into _Naruto's very being as the raven lifted Naruto's shirt and slowly raised his left palm up and sliding over the Jinchūriki's flesh, his fingers leaving burning trails wherever they went and Naruto cursed Sasuke for being such a fucking bastard...

Making him squirm under the Uchiha's mere breath on his ear when Sasuke whispered "I love you..."

For making Naruto feel love and lust for the first time in many, many years...

And especially, he cursed Sasuke for deciding he should be the uke without his consent.

Yeah, Sasuke was the bastard right now.

Almost greedily, Sasuke brought his head back from the lobe of Naruto's ear and removed the blonde's black tee shirt, eying the article of clothing with a look akin to disgust. Naruto snickered and Sasuke spared a quick glance at the Jinchūriki before lowering his lips onto Naruto's left nipple. The blonde's spine arched upward while Sasuke wrapped his arms around his back, sucking on the pink nub and licking it slowly...Moaning, Naruto felt himself get harder and could feel Sasuke as well.

He didn't even know what was happening while Sasuke swiftly tugged down his shorts and boxers until the cool air brushed onto his member and air hissed through his clenched teeth in surprise. Sasuke, still with his mouth on Naruto's chest, looked up at the blonde with clear black eyes, for once in his life laying his emotions bare for Naruto to see, and Naruto only...for some reason, Naruto felt extremely grateful for that. But he was too caught up in the rush of having Sasuke, feeling Sasuke and touching Sasuke, to wonder as to _why_ he felt that way.

"Is this your first time?" Sasuke asked and moved his torso back over Naruto's, one arm reaching down to his sweatpants to remove them from his legs. Naruto grimaced, but nodded. "I'll have you know I had a few decent tries over the years," he muttered. Sasuke glared at the blonde. "That," the raven nearly snarled, "is an excellent way to kill the mood." Naruto eyed the Uchiha warily and put his hand on Sasuke's bare chest to stop the raven from getting up and away from him, marveling at how smooth the skin was despite the many wounds sure to have been inflicted on him.

"Fine, then. Sorry," the blonde sighed. "That was stupid of me to say, I admit...but come on, I doubt this is...you know...your first." Sasuke rolled his eyes and kissed Naruto quickly, his bangs brushing both of Naruto's cheeks. "Despite what you and the general public of Konoha believe, I do believe in commitment," the raven murmured. Naruto's eyes widened at that. "Uh...I don't know how to..." Sasuke put his finger on Naruto's lips, and then an uncharacteristic grin split the Uchiha's lips.

"Just shut up and let me fuck you," Sasuke whispered huskily while his other hand wrapped slowly around Naruto's member, causing the blonde to yelp slightly in surprise. "Nnngh..." As Sasuke began to pump the Jinchūriki's leaking shaft, he also seemed to be bringing his free hand down under the blonde's ass...Naruto was just about to ask what Sasuke was doing when something slender and small pushed into his asshole.

The blonde's face contorted with both confusion, slight pain, and newly discovered pleasure as Sasuke apparently moved his finger in and out at a steady pace, keeping time with the strokes of Naruto's cock. Sasuke's eyes remained locked on Naruto's as the ministrations took place, leaving Naruto to decide what move Sasuke would pull next. Unbeknownst to Naruto, Sasuke slid another finger inside and began to scissor them, making the blonde now cringe slightly at the intrusive feeling.

Sasuke seemed to notice Naruto's discomfort, and pumped the blonde's member faster and making the blonde moan louder until the uncomfortable feeling in his ass was gone and replaced by a much more pleasant feeling. "Ready?" Sasuke whispered. Naruto, unsure of what he was ready for but having a fairly good idea, nodded. The raven on top of him smirked again and then reached over to the bedside table while still giving Naruto the best (and only) handjob he had ever gotten, pulling out a small red jar that Naruto was instantly suspicious of.

"I thought you said this was your first time," he hissed as Sasuke screwed off the cap to what he now recognized as lube. Sasuke sighed. "Remember that time when you asked me if Kakashi had corrupted my mind and I said no?" He asked while he coated his own stiff member with the slick fluid. Naruto arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Yeah...?" He replied warily.

"I lied."

With that last statement still hanging in the air, Sasuke thrust himself into Naruto.

The pain of it all was almost blinding; it felt like his ass was being ripped in two and his insides were being torn apart by just how massive Sasuke was! Naruto groaned and squirmed, his body instinctively trying to escape the painful situation while his cock softened in Sasuke's still pumping fist. Tears of pain, or rage, Naruto couldn't tell, were forming in the corners of his eyes at the sheer agony of it all. Sasuke brushed his fingers against Naruto's cheeks, but began to rock softly in and out of Naruto anyways.

"Do you want me to stop?" Sasuke asked as Naruto tried to keep himself from screaming. Gritting his teeth, the blonde wiggled his hips. Despite all the conversations he had overheard in his time abroad, some of them being gay-related, the "wonderful feeling" of being on the bottom was _so_ not happening right now! Biting the inside of his cheek, Naruto reached up with his right hand and ran his fingers through the back of Sasuke's hair, pulling the Uchiha's face close to his.

"If you stop," he whispered, "I'll fucking kill you." Sasuke smirked in reply. "Good answer," he said and started to thrust even harder. "Ugh!" Naruto's ass kept feeling like it was being shredded with every movement Sasuke made...but with each push and pull of Sasuke inside of him, there was less pain and more of a content, full feeling...

Then it hit him. Literally.

At whatever angle Sasuke had pushed inside of the blonde, the raven's member brushed against something inside of Naruto that made his heart almost leap into his throat, which was currently emitting loud moans of pleasure out of his mouth. "There," the blonde panted as Sasuke planted his palms on either side of Naruto's head. "Fuck, Sasuke...hit there again..." The raven's slightly-sweat-covered head nodded and Naruto felt it again. Almost screaming with how good it felt now, the pain was all but forgotten as Sasuke continued the rhythmic push and pull...

White hot pleasure was filling deep in Naruto's gut and he instinctively knew what was about to happen..."Sasuke, I'm..." he couldn't even finish the statement before Sasuke's hand pulled on his cock one more time before he exploded with the ecstacy that had been building up inside of him. Sasuke's expression tensed and then Naruto felt something pouring into him while Sasuke groaned out a strangled version of his name...

(WARNING, LEMON ENDS HERE)

Sasuke's sweat-covered torso collapsed down onto Naruto's equally soaked chest, both boys panting heavily while Sasuke pulled out of Naruto slowly. The blonde could feel the Uchiha's erratic heart beating over his own, and he wanted nothing more than for time to freeze in this current moment and let them be laying like this together, forever... "That...was amazing," Naruto managed to gasp out while Sasuke softly kissed the blonde's cheek.

"Now aren't you glad I had that lube," Sasuke whispered in reply, before Naruto smacked his arm. "Way to kill the mood bastard," Naruto mocked as Sasuke rolled off of his body, only to find himself being wrapped in one arm and his head laying on Sasuke's still heaving chest. "Have I told you I love you yet," Sasuke murmured after a few minutes of silence. "Mmm...you mentioned it once or twice," Naruto replied. "Well, I do love you Naruto...despite anything I said in the past."

Naruto knew that what Sasuke was referring to was every single time he had claimed he had no bonds with anyone, including him...

Naruto's jaw clenched and unclenched a couple of times before he replied. "I...love you too," he mumbled. Sasuke remained silent, and Naruto was slightly afraid that he had fallen asleep, until the raven said something else. "...Bought time you realized it..." Naruto rolled his eyes, but let Sasuke fall into sleep and turned onto his left side to watch the Uchiha. His gaze softened at how peaceful Sasuke looked, and his palm unconsciously went to rest over his stomach as he stared.

But he couldn't stay for long...

It almost physically hurt to tear himself from Sasuke's hold, but Naruto managed to swing himself over the edge of the mattress and pull on his boxers, not even bothering to find his dark shirt and shorts in the dimness of the bed room. He went to the bedroom door and opened it softly, praying Sasuke couldn't hear him as he tip toed across the hall to his, now old, bedroom and opened the drawers to his dresser and stared at the black and orange vests Sakura had bought for him...

Dressing quickly, the blonde stepped out of the bedroom with his torso covered with the vest and his legs in black pants with his black, boot-like shinobi sandals. Then he made his way to the den, where Sasuke kept notebooks and pens, where he began to write out a note. Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes, but he managed to stop almost all of them except for one trailing down his cheek and splashing down onto the yellow lined paper, ironically right beside where he signed his name in his scrawled, chicken scratch penmanship.

He tore out the note from the pad and shoved the writing utensil and notebook back onto a shelf by the tv, then went back to Sasuke's bedroom and leaned onto the wall by the closet, watching as Sasuke unknowingly assumed a stray pillow was the blonde and wrapped his arms around it. Bitter longing filled Naruto and for a moment he was tempted to stay, but if he did...Sauske would be killed. As would everyone else in Konoha and in the world...

Steeling himself and stiffening his shoulders, Naruto walked around the bed and put the note on Sasuke's bedside table, then turned and leaned down to brush Sasuke's bangs away from the raven's eyes. "Good night, Sasuke..." The blonde whispered, placing a kiss on the Uchiha's forehead. "I love you, never forget that...dammit, never forget that, or me, you son of a bitch..."

Naruto again forced himself to stand straight and walked out of the bedroom without looking back. Shutting the door behind himself, the blonde felt a slight twinge against his mind and knew that the Kyuubi had begun. Glancing at the front door, Naruto knew that by leaving that way he would have to go through the village and risk transforming there. Then he remembered that Kya almost always seemed to escape Konoha unnoticed for the night, and so he briskly walked to the back door and prayed that she was still in her rock den in the backyard.

Stepping onto the back porch and gazing out onto the peaceful, grassy area, Naruto spotted the pile of boulders in the far left and instantly heard Kya scrambling to her paws to greet him. The wolf paused just by Naruto's feet as the blonde looked at her sadly. Crouching down, the blonde placed his hand onto the wolf's head and smiled. "I need to get out of here," he whispered. "Sasuke...Sasuke can't know you helped me though. Okay?"

Kya growled lowly and butted her head against Naruto's chest. The blonde winced as the Kyuubi's chakra flared in him again but continued to smile at the wolf. "Please, Kya," he murmured. "I'm trying to save everyone...I need your help." Kya made another noise in her throat, almost like a whimper, and her yellow eyes seemed to soften. Naruto sighed. "I can't stay," he said. "You don't know how much I wish I could...but today's my birthday. And that isn't exactly a good thing."

Kya snarled again, this time angrily. "Yeah, it's the Kyuubi," Naruto murmured. "Kya, I don't have much time. Please, just help me outta here." The wolf seemed to begrudgingly turn and led the way back to her den, crawling inside of it. Naruto eyed it warily, seeing that the entrance was barely large enough for him to fit inside when Kya's low growl emanated from inside. Sighing, the blonde got onto his hands and knees and followed her, the ground level for a few steps before it started to slope downward.

_So this is how she gets out, _Naruto thought and grimaced as he felt something small and bony crack against the palm of his hand, but before he knew it his face was met with fresh air and the smell of leaves and dirt. Crawling out of the hole, he turned and saw the lights of Konoha shining, as well as the faces of the Hokage Mountain staring at him. "Thanks, Kya," he whispered. Kya whined.

"And when Sasuke wakes up...find a way to tell him I...well...he'll know."

**Sasuke**

Sasuke yawned slowly as a warm breeze stirred outside of his window, stray leaves brushing against the glass. He noted happily that he still had Naruto in his arms and tightened his grip slightly. Odd, Naruto shouldn't be so squishy...but Sasuke just assumed the blonde had all of the blankets wrapped around himself. Blinking, the Uchiha unraveled his arms from around Naruto and sat up, leaning his head against the wooden headboard of the bed and staring at the closet opposite of him, smiling softly as he remembered what had happened last night.

_"I...love you too..."_

Sasuke couldn't remember a time when he had been happier than hearing those words come from Naruto's mouth. He had heard many things over the years from the blonde, from "I'll save you" and "I hate you," and at those times he had been pleased with the challenge Naruto presented...but that was nothing compared to what they had done and said last night. Glancing to his right, he saw the large lump under the sheets where Naruto was and smirked. Not wanting to wake the Jinchūriki yet, Sasuke decided to go and make breakfast in bed for the blonde, since it was his birthday after all.

He swung his legs onto the floor and searched for his boxers and sweatpants, pulling both on and since he hadn't worn a shirt to bed, stood. Then a flash of yellow on his bedside table caught his eye. Looking to his left, the raven saw a piece of yellow, lined paper on top of his book with what seemed to be a lengthy note written hastily on the blue lines. Picking it up, Sasuke felt his heart drop as he saw the name signed on the bottom...

_Sasuke,_

_By the time you read this, it'll probably be too late for you to find me. I, well...let me just start by saying last night was incredible. I'll remember it for the short amount of time I have left here. You probably want me to explain what's going on, and why I'm not in bed..._

Sasuke's arm shot behind his back to grip the lump that he had assumed to be Naruto, and as he twisted to look over his shoulder, he saw...a pillow, in place of where he had thought Naruto had been.

_As you know, tomorrow- actually, today, since you're reading this in the morning, is my birthday. And the nineteenth anniversary of Madara's attack on the village, as well as the Kyuubi's sealing. Sasuke, the Kyuubi is going to break free today. There's no way for me to stop it...trust me, I've tried everything...and if I had stayed with you last night I would have killed you...and I just can't bear to even think about that. I would have killed everyone in the village. So, I snuck out. Now you better listen to me this time bastard because you never seem to when I want you to do something._

_Don't follow me. Please. When the Kyuubi escapes he'll only have a short time away from my body before his chakra starts to collapse in on itself, since he has been tied to my body for eighteen years, he can't exist without my chakra or my physical body, which he'll probably destroy in the process...But in that time he's also gonna be more dangerous than ever...and I don't want you to get hurt. I know pulling a hit and run like this has probably hurt you more than any physical wound could, Sasuke, and damn I feel awful about it. I really don't want to leave..._

_So here's the present I want you to give to me on your birthday. Just live. That's all I want. I want you to live, to stay alive and I don't want you to try and save me. This isn't just a goodbye letter, or a suicide letter...Sasuke, it's a love letter..._

_I love you. Please don't forget that. -Naruto_

Sasuke's throat felt tight as he saw the small splash of water right next to the end of Naruto's name. His eyes felt dry and wet at the same and all of a sudden tears were flowing down his cheeks and he was hunched over, clutching the note to his chest while sobs ripped past his lips. "..._Naruto_..." He whispered brokenly while the paper crumpled in his fists. There was a low whimper that sounded from the doorway, but Sasuke didn't bother to turn and face Kya as the horror of the situation truly dawned on him.

Naruto had left him in favor of dying at the Kyuubi's expense...it was a truth too horrifying for the Uchiha to face...

More tears streamed down Sasuke's cheeks as he remembered last night, every brush of his fingers against Naruto's skin and every word they had breathed to each other. Damn, his chest hurt...Kya whimpered again and Sasuke felt her fur brush against his right leg, her paws landing on both of his knees while her sandpaper-like tongue licked his forehead. His hands reached out, Naruto's note falling to the ground, to grip the scruff of Kya's neck and laced his fingers into the wolf's fur.

The two stayed there for a while, Sasuke trying his best to control his crying while Kya put her muzzle onto his shoulder, low growls emanating from her throat vibrating against his body. Eventually, however, he knew he had to get up. He would not, he _could_ not, just sit by and let Naruto...die. He had to do something. Raising his head, Sasuke met Kya's yellow stare and tried to rub at his own watery eyes with his wrist. "Did you know Naruto left?" He whispered hoarsely.

Slowly, Kya seemed to nod once.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Sasuke sighed and gently removed Kya's paws from his legs and stood up while continuing to rub his eyes until they were dry enough to hurt. Picking up the discarded letter, he went to his closet and dressed in a black shirt, the high collar reaching just under his jaw and the sleeves cut to just above his elbows, along with dark blue pants that had two pockets on either thigh, along with standard issue blue shinobi sandals.

He then retrieved his katana, and its sheath, tucking each into the holster that was sewed into the pants specially for the blade and walked out of the bedroom...

Whether Naruto liked it or not, Sasuke was going to try his damnedest to save his blonde.

_8-8-8-8-8-8_

Sasuke didn't even bother knocking on the office door in front of him, instead simply slamming it open and apparently interrupting a meeting that Tsunade was holding with two of the Elders of the village. The raven shot the duo a quick, disdainful look, before focusing back on Tsunade, who was sitting at her desk with her hands folded on the wooden surface and an angry glint in her eyes.

"Uchiha," she growled as Kya followed Sasuke and stood by his left leg. "You are interrupting a very important meeting." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I'm sure this," he began and stepped forward, slamming Naruto's note down onto the blonde's desk, "Is more important than whatever you have going on here." Tsunade stared up at Sasuke for a brief moment, eyebrow raised in confusion, before her left hand reached out and picked up the paper slowly. Her eyes scanned the quickly scrawled words and widened with each sentence she read until her gaze reached the bottom.

"I...I'm afraid I will have to put this meeting on hold for the time being," Tsunade whispered. Sasuke heard the Elders behind him snort, but no comment was made while the door to the office shut softly behind his back. "Sasuke, how long have you known about this?" The blonde asked and looked up at Sasuke. "I...I just found the note this morning, Tsunade," he replied softly. The Sannin's eyes narrowed and he could have sworn he saw tears in her hazel eyes, but then she blinked and any trace of moisture was gone from her gaze.

"I should have had the damn kid examined more often," she murmured, seemingly to herself while she looked at the paper in her trembling hands. "Observed his chakra levels, behavior...dammit..." Sasuke shook his head. "It's...in the past," he replied. "I don't think we have much time, Tsunade. Naruto...left in the middle of the night. He could be anywhere right now and the Kyuubi...he's going to kill.." Tsunade raised her hand to stop the raven.

"Don't say it," she murmured and looked back up at him. "I'll have Shizune summon Shikamaru here...I want you to go to the hospital and visit Sakura's room." Sasuke tried to refuse before the Hokage's glare intensified. "No objections," she stated. "When I'm done with Shikamaru I'll have you come back here and we can all discuss a plan later on. For now, do as I ordered."

Sasuke, feeling very annoyed at the dismissive tone in the woman's voice, nodded stiffly and turned. "Sasuke..." He had just reached the door when Tsunade's voice called out to him. Looking over his shoulder, he didn't bother to reply when he noticed the blonde woman staring at him. "You and Naruto...you two are..." "In love?" Sasuke asked. Tsunade nodded. "...Yes."

Sasuke exited the room with Kya and shut the door softly behind himself.

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

Now standing in front of Sakura's hospital room, Sasuke continued to ponder why Tsunade would send him over here now when, clearly, the pressing issue was Naruto...and perhaps the safety of the village. Kya hadn't been allowed inside of the building past the visitor's room, but since he had seen Ino while he had been waiting for admission, Sasuke allowed the blonde to take the russet wolf back to her house until the raven was done with...whatever this was.

Breathing deeply, Sasuke smelled the dissinfectents and sterilizers typical of hospitals and placed his hand onto the handle of Sakura's door, pushing it inward and stepping inside...

"...Sasuke-kun..."

The raven, who had been staring at his feet as he walked in, suddenly whipped his head up and saw Sakura sitting up in her bed, pillows piled behind her back and her torso covered in a blue and white checkered hospital gown. Her skin was pale, more so than was normal for the rosette and her pink hair limply framed her forehead and cheeks, small strands sticking to her forehead. In her lap was a magazine, while her arms were still connected to various IV machines and heart monitors, but the oxygen tubes were missing from her nostrils and she smiled at Sasuke as he stared blankly at her.

The Uchiha brought one fist up to his eyes, rubbing them to make sure he wasn't seeing things and returned to staring at Sakura, dumbstruck that she was awake, here. Now. "You...you're awake," he managed to say and strode forward, taking a seat in the chair by her bed. Her head turned so she could look at him, her green eyes bright. "Yeah," she said softly. "I...uh, apparently I woke up last night..." Sasuke felt a pang in his heart at the mention of last night.

He nodded and placed his arms on the edge of her mattress, leaning forward slightly. "Tsunade sent me here," he muttered and closed his eyes. "I guess I know why now..." A hand rubbed softly through his hair in response. "How long have I been...out?" Sakura asked quietly, and Sasuke's raised his eyes so he could stare at her. She smiled sheepishly. "No-one's told me yet," she explained. Sighing, Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek before replying. "About a month and a half," he said quietly. Sakura was silent for a few minutes, and the raven could see her clenching her jaw while she stared at the room's door.

"Damn," she finally muttered. Then she returned her eyes to Sasuke and smiled. "So, where's Naruto?" She asked. Instantly, Sasuke's arms tensed and he put his head down in them, eliciting a small gasp of surprise from Sakura. "Sasuke-kun, what's wrong," she questioned worriedly as he brought his head back up, fighting back tears.

He explained everything that had happened ever since she had fallen comatose after Madara's attack, from how Naruto had been put into prison to him getting the blonde free, finally realizing he was in love with the blonde and managing to convince Naruto to give him a shot. How Naruto seemed to always pull away from Sasuke and acted fearful of coming to Sakura's room, to last night.

Sasuke felt a couple of tears on his face as he explained what had happened last night, and what he had found that morning while Sakura stared at him sympathetically. Her left hand reached out and gently overlapped Sasuke's, knitting their fingers together while Sasuke finished talking. Silence fell between the two teammates after that while Sasuke forced himself to stop crying; it was getting ridiculous. He shouldn't be this emotional, or at least show that he was feeling this way so often.

"...I think Naruto did the right thing."

Sasuke blinked at the rosette above him in surprise. She held up her other hand as he opened his mouth to protest, however. "Sasuke-kun, he was right...he could have easily killed you if the Kyuubi escaped this morning," she continued. "I...I'm sure Tsunade-sama has a plan to get him back, but if he had gone to her today...I don't think there was anything she could have done on such a short notice to prevent the Kyuubi..."

"But Naruto is going to _die_," Sasuke grit past his teeth and lowered his head again. "He...he's going to die to save this damn village and it's all my fault...I never fucking noticed the Kyuubi was trying to get out, I...I was too focused on getting Naruto to love me..." Sakura's slim fingers tightened around his own. "Sasuke, none of this is your fault," she whispered.

"The seal keeping the Kyuubi in place is degrading because of Naruto. He chose to depend on the Kyuubi's chakra too much when he was looking for you..."

Sasuke scowled into the sheets of the bed. "Exactly," he spat out. "If I had realized sooner, if I had known what Itachi wanted from me then I would have returned..." A hand pressed softly into Sasuke's hair again. "I doubt that Sasuke-kun," Sakura replied carefully. "You were...too focused on avenging your clan, and Itachi, to understand what his true intentions were at the time."

Sasuke scowled into the mattress but acknowledged that Sakura was, indeed, correct. "Then if I had figured out I loved Naruto...I-" "Sasuke-kun," Sakura interrupted sharply while her hand left his hair, the raven looking up to meet her stern, yet tired, glower. "Nothing mattered to you at that time except your revenge! I saw it in your eyes at that bridge. I tried to _kill_ you, and in response you nearly killed me. Naruto saved me from you...there was nothing that could have stopped you except yourself. And you didn't want to stop," she said then while Sasuke shifted in his seat.

The raven lifted his head and was about to reply when there was a soft knock at the door to the room. Tearing his hand from Sakura's, the rosette softly said "Come in," as he sat up straight and tried to make himself look as passive as possible. The door clicked open and in popped Rock Lee's bowlcut hair, followed by his large eyes and a portion of his green covered torso.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun!" The Jonin exclaimed and pointed at the Uchiha. "Hokage-sama has requested you return to her office now!" Then Lee's gaze trailed to Sakura. If possible, his eyes grew wider while Sasuke stood and backed away from the chair. "Sakura-kun! You're awake!" Lee exclaimed happily and bounded into the room fully while Sakura smiled tiredly at him. "Hi, Lee," she murmured as Sasuke walked towards the room's door. "Ah, Sasuke-kun," she called. The raven turned to see Lee's arms wrapped around her back and her head poking over the man's shoulder.

"Remember what I said," the rosette said softly. "Naruto did the right thing, but..." Sasuke never heard what Sakura had to say, for Lee had shoved him out of the room and shut the door in his face.

_8-8-8-8-8-8_

Soft murmurs were coming from the other side of the wooden door that Sasuke stood in front of again; when he had stopped by Ino's apartment the blonde had not been home, and neither had Kya, so he assumed Ino was a part of...whatever this is. The raven blinked a couple of times since his eyes felt dry and then hesitantly put his hand on the doorknob, turning it and pushing the door inward fully.

When he entered the Hokage's office, he was met with the full force of the Rookie Nine, minus Sakura, Lee, and Naruto, in front of him, along with Tsunade sitting at her desk with Shizune at her side. A hand clasped onto his shoulder and he looked to his left to see Kakashi nod once at him in acknowledgement. Turning his attention back to the group in front of him, he noticed Shikamaru holding a small box under his right arm and murmuring to Neji, who was nodding and looking at Sasuke while the raven went to stand by Kiba.

"Sasuke," Tsunade greeted simply and stood up, her hands behind her back and her blonde bangs falling just above her eyes. Sasuke didn't respond as the Sannin glanced at Shikamaru and Neji. "I have come to a decision regarding Naruto and the state of the Kyuubi," she began. Sasuke felt Kiba pat his back briefly while his onyx eyes stayed locked on Tsunade's form, waiting for her to continue.

"Shikamaru, would you care to explain your plan?"

Sasuke's gaze darted to Shikamaru, who was watching Sasuke carefully while he shifted the box under his arm. "I've found a way to redraw the seal," the ANBU said, and apparently this was news to the rest of the people in the room besides Tsunade, since everyone began to pay more attention to the boy with the spiky ponytail. He rolled his brown eyes before continuing. "It will require Naruto being...unconscious, however. And it's been proven in the past that even when the Kyuubi has even partial possession of Naruto's body he is still aware of what's going on...

"And even though putting Naruto under will make it easier to redraw the seal, there will also be a signifigant decrease in the resistance Naruto's body naturally puts out against the Kyuubi. It'll be much easier for the demon to fully control, and possibly escape, Naruto's body. But without Killer B, this is the only option we have...aside from killing Naruto. Which I'm sure none of us in this room want to do."

Ten heads nodded in agreement. "Kiba, Akamaru, and Kya will have to track down Naruto. Most likely he is trying to get as far from the village as he can until the Kyuubi becomes too much for him to handle," Shikamaru explained and walked up to Tsunade's desk, opening the wooden crate he carried and pulling out a map of the Fire Country, unraveling it and pointing to the small red dot that indicated Konoha. "Kya said she escorted him to the western wall of the village..."

The ANBU's finger then trailed to the left of the map. "And he most likely is traveling in the forest, away from any paths. Further more, as the Kyuubi begins to influence his behavior more, he will probably start following animal trails...rabbits, foxes, that sort of thing."

He then tapped his finger near the edge of the map, where the green splotches of trees ended and the pale cream of the parchment began. "So Kiba, you, Akamaru, and Kya are our first wave. Once you got a good lock on Naruto's scent, Shino will send his bugs ahead to assess Naruto's chakra." Akamaru and Kya both barked while Kiba nodded determinedly by Sasuke's right side. Shino's bugs seemed to start humming buzzing somewhere behind the Uchiha in what seemed to be an agreement.

"Hinata, Neji. When we get within a three mile radius I need you two to do the same as Shino, observe Naruto's chakra and also explain what his physical appearance is." Neji made no comment as Hinata murmured, "Y-yes, Shikamaru-kun..." "I am going to be staying behind to prepare for the Zetsu's attack along with TenTen, Choji, and Ino," the ANBU said and then looked at Sasuke. "You will be our best chance at getting Naruto knocked out. The easiest way to make Naruto unconscious is, of course, a genjutsu. But you will be competing with the Kyuubi as well, so focus on that and everyone else will fight if Naruto proves to be hostile."

Sasuke reluctantly nodded. If possible, he had wanted to avoid fighting Naruto..."Then, once Naruto is subdued, return back to the village. The Zetsu's are expected to arrive in roughly four days. That's the amount of time we have to find Naruto, knock him out, and bring him back. Got it?"

The whole of the Rookie Nine seemed to agree as Tsunade looked up from staring at her feet. "Leave immediately," she barked out. "Gather supplies that are absolutely needed, nothing else."

_8-8-8-8-8-8_

Trees rushed around Sasuke in a blur as he jumped from branch to branch, eyes locked on Kya's form on the forest floor below him, the wolf running by Akamaru's side. The albino dog was carrying Kiba on his back, all three of them seeming to be smelling and tasting the air as they ran. Suddenly, the trip swerved to the left as Kiba called up "This way!" And vanished into the undergrowth.

Apparently having found Naruto's scent, the group behind the trio followed as Sasuke felt a presence approach his right side. "...We'll find him," Neji murmured, staring straight ahead as Sasuke glanced at him. "...Yeah," the Uchiha replied quietly. "...I just hope we find him in time."

The raven activated his sharnigan, allowing the crimson red to spread over his black irises in preparation of the battle to come.

* * *

That was it for Part One! This chapter is a lot longer than I thought it would be O_o I'd like to thank you all for your continued support, and I will see you in Part Two! -Astridelta


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